Cupid
by HidekoChan90
Summary: Miroku is Cupid, but when he falls in love himself, will he have the courage to complete his task to bring 100 couples together, or has Cupid finally met his match? Pokemon/Inuyasha. MxS: Lemons. Gymshipping. R
1. Chapter 1

_Chapter 1_

_Ninety-eight couples. That's how many people I have helped find happiness. I can only wonder who my ninety-ninth or my one-hundredth couple will be. I won't feel complete until I find those two other lovebirds, once I do, I can finally go home and get out of the hellish place they call earth._

_And why did they have to send me to this place called "Highschool". I've been alive a lot longer than any of these numbskulls, of course, by looking at me you couldn't tell. I'm youthful, handsome, and charming, my charisma helps me do the work I am destined to do, it shouldn't be too much longer until I'm out of here though._

Miroku Keseki was an average 17 year old, with good looks, charm, and charisma, but underneath his boyish exterior, was a man that you wouldn't expect. A man with many years of experience under his belt and an immortal soul who's only duty was to bring young lovers together.

He stood outside the school doorway just after the last bell rang for the day. He leaned against the wall, his blue eyes scanning the crowds of students for just one who might need a hand in finding true love. Sighing, he leaned his head against the brick wall and looked up at the blue sky with scattered white clouds and jet streams making their mark on the virgin blue.

A male voice caught his attention. It held a slight sense of urgency and Miroku clued into their conversation.

The red-haired girl who was clutching onto her backpack strap was trying her best to get away from the dark-skinned boy with dark spiked hair and slanted eyes. Miroku found the couple quite interesting as they made their way down the steps towards the sea of cars parked in the parking lot.

"Misty, come on. Tell me what's wrong with you today." The boy said, who seemed a bit older than this "Misty" girl. His hand touched her shoulder and she jerked away from his slightly, advancing towards the parking lot even more.

"I don't want to talk about it, Brock." She hissed, clearly aggravated with her friends prying.

"Is it Ash again?" Brock asked, affectively blocking the redhead from getting into her car.

Misty's face grew grim and she pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, exposing pearly white teeth as she chewed on it intensely. "I'll talk about it later." She said, shutting the car door and also shutting him out. Within a few seconds her blue eclipse had roared to life and sped out of the parking lot, leaving Brock standing and watching after her.

It wasn't until he heard a voice from behind him that he came out of his trance. Miroku approached him, pulled his sunglasses over his wintry blue eyes and pulled out a card. "You look like you could use some help?"

Brock quirked an eyebrow and took Miroku's card almost hesitantly. "Hey, aren't you the guy in my chemistry class?"

Miroku stuffed his hands in his pockets and nodded. "Give me a call if you need someone to talk to her for you. I'm pretty good with women."

Brock laughed and stuffed the card into his back pocket. "She's not my girlfriend."

"I could tell." Miroku said, raising the sunglasses on top of his head, exposing the clear, indigo eyes that were hidden. "How long have you known here?"

"Since forever. Elementary school, actually." Brock answered, looking down at his shoes. "She's in love with this guy who doesn't exactly treat her right you know? I mean, I care about her and I hate to see her hurt. She's a wonderful girl and she deserves better."

"Better?" Miroku asked, following Brock as he proceeded to get away from Miroku. OK, so maybe he was prying a little too much, but he liked to find out as much as he could about his subjects before he decided to try and play matchmaker. "By better do you mean…you?"

Brock stopped as he reached his car and let out a laugh as he tugged on the handle. "Hey, I never said I was in love with her. I said I cared." He said, looking back at Miroku. "There's a difference."

"Of course." Miroku said, as Brock got into his car. "Well, remember, if you ever want any help just let me know."

"Will do." Brock said, waving him a goodbye as he left the parking lot. Miroku stuffed his hands in his pockets, and then headed for his own car.

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Miroku sat cross-legged on his bed, tapping his pencil on his math textbook. He never did get math and he never would, not in a million years. He stared at the jumbled numbers until they all mixed together on the page.

"Damn you, Hideko! Why did you have to send me to such a stupid time?"

Suddenly, there was a tap on his shoulder.

Miroku whirled around, his heart leapt in his throat only for a moment, until he laid eyes on the beautiful blond-haired woman before him. She gave him a sweet smile. "Because, Miroku," she began. "you have business to take care of."

Miroku leaned back on his bed. "Jeez, do you have to sneak up on me like that? And couldn't I have taken care of business somewhere else? Like why couldn't I be 35 and work in an office or something. An office is the perfect place to hookup, Hideko."

Hideko didn't speak as she made her way across the room and rummaged through Miroku's underwear drawer. "Well, that answers that questions. Boxers or briefs…" She said, holding up a pair of Miroku's boxers.

"Are you even paying attention to me?" He asked, only receiving a smile from his friend.

"Oh, Miroku, don't worry about it. You'll see why I sent you here and you'll thank me later." She said, shutting his underwear drawer. "Oh, and I almost forgot, you better show up to English class tomorrow."

"What? Why?" Miroku asked. "I was planning on skipping that horrible class."

"If you do you'll miss your chance as your one-hundredth couple meeting. Cupid is supposed to be more responsible." Hideko said, narrowing her eyes.

"Hey, I never asked to be Cupid." He groused miserably.

"Why are you so bitter all the time, Miroku. You're the god of love, I'm the one who should be bitter, I'm in charge of _you_ after all." Hideko said, with a sigh.

Miroku rolled his eyes. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." She said.

"Has my ninety-ninth couple already met? If my final couple is supposed to meet tomorrow, then that means by ninety-ninth have already met each other, correct?" Miroku asked raising his eyebrow curiously.

"Oh, now, you know I can't tell you that kind of information. That would make your job far too easy." She said with a smile, glancing over at his bedside clock. "It's getting late, Miroku, you better head-off to bed. You want to be there bright and early tomorrow for your English class."

Miroku looked over at the glowing green letters that read 11:30 PM. He leaned back on his bed and rubbed his head. "Jeez, you even tell me when to go to bed. You're not my mother."

"No, you're right. I may not be Venus, but I do know what's best for you, and you want to be looking and feeling your best tomorrow, believe me." Hideko said, and with a puff of smoke the pretty blond fox-demon vanished.

Miroku coughed on the smoke and rolled his eyes. "She always shows up uninvited." He complained, closing his math book and pulling down the sheets. "I hope I pass the stupid math test. I can't afford to fail it again." He said to himself as he set his alarm. He yawned tiredly and turned on his side, enjoying the feeling of relaxing, which is something he never got to do back home much.

His mind drifted back to earlier that day, where he saw Brock Harrison, the 17 year old boy who seemed to be in some kind of distress with the pretty red-headed girl. It was only a guess, but perhaps they were his ninety-ninth couple.

Why couldn't his job be any easier? He would have had this assignment done a long time ago if it was just simpler. Not only did he have to bring two people together and have them fall in love, but it also had to be true love, one that will last until death do them part.

That was rare to find, especially in high school, and he wondered if Hideko and the rest of his immortal friends were watching and laughing at him. He was probably the butt of their jokes about how horrible of a cupid he was. After all, his father had finished the assignment in three months, but Miroku was entering the spring semester of his year at school and the rate things were going he would be there for a whole year.

He pushed the thoughts out his mind and tried his best to grasp sleep. With his mind swimming with thoughts, he found that hard to do however.

********************************************************************************

Miroku trudged into school the next morning, barely making it into his seat before the bell rang that would have made him late. He hadn't been there in at least three week and he knew he probably had a ton of work to make up, and the teacher approached him.

Kris McCoy was a youthful, laid-back teacher who hardly made anyone do any work at all and he wondered why he hated the class so much. Kris wasn't half as bad as some of his other teachers, maybe he hated the class because it was so ridiculously early, or the English language was just too hard to grasp.

"Keseki…" Kris spoke up and Miroku couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated. Some of the other students were looking at him, wondering where he had disappeared to in the last three weeks.

Miroku stood up and followed Kris to his desk, a little nervous about what he was going to be told. Not only would he have to do his job, but also have a load of homework piled on top of that. "Yes, Mr. M?"

"Why haven't you been here in three weeks?" Kris asked concerned. "You are one of my favourite students and I'd really hate to have to fail you. I know moving to a new school can be hard, but it's almost April now and I've seen you around, Keseki, you don't exactly have a hard time fitting in."

"I know, I've just had…a lot going on in my life, that's all." Miroku said, trying his best to act casual.

"I understand." Kris said. "But if your having a hard time, you need to talk to me about it, not skip my class. I'm going to be nice and not give you detentions, but I am going to sign you up with someone who can help you catch up on the work you've missed."

Miroku's eyes grew wide. "Uh, Mr. M, I really don't need--"

"Miroku, you have a ton of work, and with your other classes, this isn't going to be easy." He said, grinning. "Besides, I think once you see her you won't be complaining."

Miroku's eyebrows shot up. "Is she hot?"

"You can be the judge of that." He said, handing him a piece of paper. "Her name is Sango Noriko, she's one of my best students. She had straight A's. I already told her about you and I want you to go and meet up with her today in second lunch."

Sighing, he took the paper from him. "Will do, Mr. M."

"Great." He said. "I have to get class started, so tell me how it goes, alright?"

"Alright." Miroku said, sitting back down in his seat. Damn, living in earth was really like being in hell wasn't it?

********************************************************************************

Ash Ketchum was popular and handsome. He was captain of the basketball team and almost every member of the football cheerleading squad was in love with him, besides Sango Noriko and the two boys who were also on the squad.

Misty was also on the squad, but she wasn't exactly popular since she was lucky enough to date the wonderful Ash Ketchum, she was the envy of most girls and sometimes it seemed the only friends she had in the world were Brock and Sango.

Speaking of which, she hadn't seen Brock all morning. She had felt guilty about treating him the way she had the day before, but sometimes he could be so nosy, but she knew it was only because he cared about her. That was more than she could say for Ash.

It was fast approaching noon, which meant second lunch was just around the corner. Sango planned to spend the lunch period studying for her chemistry test, but would probably end up talking to Misty about how much of a jerk Ash was.

Sometimes Sango felt like just telling to forget about Ash and move on, but that was easier said than done, she knew that.

As for Sango herself, she never really had an interest in boys or having a boyfriend. Her grades were more important than love, but Misty was a completely different person, a hopeless romantic is what Sango had dubbed her best friend as.

When Ash finally pulled himself away from the flock of girls from all grades, he approached their table with an envelope and plopped it in front of Sango. "You coming?"

Sango eyed the envelope on the table, then her gaze fell upon Ash once again as she picked up the package. "To what?"

"My party next Saturday night. My 'rents are going out of town on a cruise for their anniversary and I'm throwing a big bash." Ash said, leaning on the table with one hand. "Hey Mist, have you seen Brocko around here today?"

"I saw him before school started out in the parking lot, but not much of him since then, why?" She asked, already knowing everything about Ash's party.

"I want to give him his invitation." Ash said. "He can steal drinks from his dad's liquor cabinet." He finished with a laugh, and after a quick pat on Misty's backside, he was gone again, off to hand out invitations for his party of the year.

Sighing, Misty slumped in her seat. "All he thinks about is drinking and partying. He doesn't even realize next Saturday is out six month anniversary."

Sango looked up from her chemistry notes. "You two have been together for six months? I didn't know it was that long."

"Since October." Misty confirmed. "Remember we made it official at homecoming?"

"Oh yeah." Sango said, remembering how happy her friend was when she told her the news. However, she couldn't help but notice the sad look on Brock's face. She looked around the lunch room. "I'm supposed to meet some guy from Mr. McCoy's English class today. I have to tutor him, I just hope he's not a pain in the butt."

Misty laughed as she took her first bite of a French fry. "Yea, like the last guy Kris paired you up with. The big, smelly football player."

"Ugh." Sango shook her head remembering how bad he smelled and how he'd come over to her house and eat all her food. Not only was he rude, but he was extremely undisciplined. "Don't remind me." She said.

The two sat in silence for a good five minutes while Sango continued to study, until they heard someone else approach their table. Both girls assumed it was Ash, and Sango was the first to look up only to have her jaw drop.

"Excuse me, are you Sango Noriko?" Miroku asked, his blue eyes shimmered with the question and it took Sango a few seconds to find her voice. Misty also looked up at the sound of her voice only to blush and drop her potato chips in the floor.

"Y-yes." Sango said, standing up and extending her hand. "You must be Miroku Keseki."

"Yes I am." He said, taking a seat next to her, not that she minded. He smelled great and there was no denying he was good-looking. "Wow, I must say you are more beautiful then Kris made you out to be." He said with a smile.

Misty silently smiled, picking up on the obvious flirting and the small blush that came across Sango's cheeks. Sango closed her chemistry book and smiled shyly. "Thank you." She said, accepting the compliment gracefully. Miroku watched her, admiring how beautiful she looked with pink-tinted cheeks and made a mental note to thank Hideko later.

Maybe Hideko did know what she was doing after all…

"Oh and you must be Sango's beautiful friend?" He asked, extending his hand towards Misty. The redhead blushed before wiping her hand on her jeans and accepting his handshake with a blush.

"I'm Misty Waterflower." She said with a smile.

"Misty Waterflower." He said, testing the name. "Beautiful names for beautiful girls."

This caused Misty to giggle girlishly and Sango to cross her legs and look down at her lap.

"Hey Miroku!" They heard a familiar voice approach them and the three of them looked up to see that Brock had decided to actually show his face. Misty's eyes grew wide.

"Where have you been all morning, Brock?" She asked.

"I had to leave, mom went into labor this morning." He said, sitting down next to Misty.

"Another one?" Sango asked.

"Yep. Another one." He replied grinning. "What did I miss?"

Sango held up her envelope and rolled her eyes. "Well, Ash was handing out invitations to his party…" She said, passing it over to him.

Brock opened it and his eyes scanned the page. "Hey, isn't this the same day as your anniversary, Misty?"

"Yes, but there is no use in telling him that." She said, looking embarrassed that Brock had remembered but Ash hadn't. She felt like such a failure for having such a scatterbrained boyfriend who was so self-absorbed.

Brock handed the paper back to Sango. "Ah, well, if that's all I missed it doesn't matter. I'm not going anyway?"

"Why not?" Misty asked, looking rather sad. "I was kind of hoping you'd come…" She said.

He gave her a crooked smile and lazily took a zip of his soda. "Why's that?"

"Because…" She said, wiggling around in her seat uncomfortably. "Well, Ash ignores me when he has these parties and when your there it gives me someone to talk to…someone to dance with…" She gave him a smile and he couldn't help but smile back.

Brock sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Alright, but I can't stay long. 11 o'clock at latest."

Misty wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thanks, Brock. You're the best."

The bell rang and the entire cafeteria was empty within a matter of minutes, and the halls were congested with students trying to hurry to their next class. Miroku didn't want to lose Sango in all of the chaos, so he reached out and grabbed her hand.

She spun around, shocked by his actions.

"Wait, let me walk you to your next class." Miroku said, his voice smooth and kind, his grasp on her hand was firm yet gentle. Sango forced herself back to reality and replied to him as other students rushed past them.

"Alright. I have chemistry next, what about you?"

"Algebra." He replied, rolling his eyes. "So," He said as the entered a less polluted area of the hallway. "when should we meet up so you can help me with my studies." He silently offered his hand to carry her chemistry book for her, and she let him hesitantly.

"Well," Sango said, opening up her notebook. "I have an art show to attend tomorrow night, but perhaps Friday will be a good day. My little brother will be at his friends house so he won't bother us, so it's perfect."

"Sounds great." Miroku replied with a smile. "Of course, I don't want you to feel weird being all alone or anything with me."

"Oh, I don't feel weird." She said with a smile. "I tutor all the time, it's not a big deal."

"You must be extremely smart."

"Oh, now, I wouldn't say that." Sango said, blushing.

"And so modest."

Sango quirked her mouth into a smile as she stopped in front of her classroom. "Compliments aren't going to get me to do your work for you. You'll never learn that way."

Miroku laughed and leaned against the wall, handing her chemistry book to her as he did. "It was worth a try. Don't I at least get some brownie points?"

Sango shook her head. "I'll think about it. Now, hurry up and go to class, you don't want to be late. Kris told me your notorious for being late to class."

Miroku looked up at the clock just before the first bell rang. "Ah, you're right. Alright. I guess I'll see you around then?"

With a simple nod, she smiled and made her way into the classroom. Miroku walked down the hall, his mind preoccupied with brunette beauty. In fact, he was so preoccupied with her that he almost missed his classroom. He shook his head and tried to push her out of his mind. If anything was distraction from the studying he actually did, it would be her and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing in his opinion.

He knew he had to pass this test or his math teacher would find him a tutor, and somehow he doubted that this teacher had such excellent taste as Kris McCoy.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Well, Hideko," Miroku said, eyeing the blond woman in his kitchen as she prepared a meal for the two of them. "you failed to mention I'd be meeting a beautiful girl today."

"I told you to be in your English class bright and early." Hideko said with a shrug. "Aren't you glad I did?"

"Hell yea." Miroku said with a smile. "Kris McCoy is an awesome teacher. I'm never skipping his class again."

"Great!" She said, draining the pasta into a colander. "Then maybe you'll actually graduate when you go home this summer, eh?"

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "Hey, that reminds me. Does this Sango girl have anything to do with the fact that you sent me to high school for this assignment?"

Hideko twirled around, placing a big plate of spaghetti in front of him before she replied. "That information is classified."

"Oh, c'mon Hideko, can't you give me some sort of hint? I've already gotten 98 couples together over the past year, you can at least give me a break!" He exclaimed, twirling spaghetti onto his fork.

"Stop talking and eat your dinner." Hideko said, sitting down next to him. "I would hate for this wonderful dinner I made to go to waste because you can't shut your trap long enough to eat."

Miroku forked the food into his mouth and grumbled at her. Hideko giggled as she slurped a noodle into her mouth. "My my, to be the God of love you sure are grumpy."

"How come the god of love can't find anyone to love him then, huh?" He asked, swallowing. "I mean, I'm cute, right?"

Hideko reached over and pinched his nose between her fingers. "Simply adorable."

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "You sure do know how to make me feel like a man, Hideko."

"Just chill out, Miroku." Hideko said casually, pointing at him with her fork. "You have a lot of work to do Friday night, and you better have it all done before next Saturday because your going to that party."

"Party? What party?" Miroku asked.

"Ash Ketchum's party, you dimwit!" Hideko reminded him in disbelief that he had forgotten.

"Hey, I never said I was going to that. You know I don't go to social events." Miroku argued, suddenly becoming nervous. "Why do you want me to go to his party for? Wouldn't you rather I run all around Tokyo trying to get my last two couples to meet up and get married or something? After all, I'm cupid. That's my job."

"Well," Hideko said thoughtfully chewing. "The fact that your ninety-ninth couple will be getting together that night at the party might have something to do with it."

"What?" Miroku asked, his eyes growing wide.

"I'm sorry, Miroku, but I'm afraid I can't give you anymore information." She told him, enjoying her dinner. "This mortal food is simply delicious. Almost makes you wish you were an earthling doesn't it?"

Miroku took another bite. "I guess so." He said, he had to admit, food was good and it better than the baklava he ate all the time back home. "Why can't this be easier? Can't you just give me some arrows so I can just shoot people and make them fall in love like all the old cupids used to do?"

"That's so old-fashioned." Hideko answered smoothly without thought. "This is far more fun and shows just how skilled you are at being a matchmaker." She stood up and placed her dirty plate into the sink. "I have to get back home, I'll be by tomorrow to check your progress." And then she was gone, leaving a very frustrated Miroku left in the kitchen.

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It was a Thursday afternoon, it was dreary and dark outside and Miroku knew there was a storm coming. Obviously the gods weren't pleased, but about what, he wasn't sure. He walked confidently down the long, glass hallway admiring how beautiful Tokyo looked underneath the gray sky.

While still beautiful, it was also depressing, but another sight caught Miroku's eye. He remembered her from the day before, Sango's red-headed friend Misty was sitting by the wall, her backpack and books laid artlessly beside her. Her knees were hugged to her chest and her eyes peered up at him from above her knees.

Miroku leaned against the wall next to her. His history class had started nearly 20 minutes ago and he knew he should have been in there instead of wondering the halls aimlessly, but it wasn't like he didn't already know everything about the Greek gods.

"Hey, Misty, are you alright?" He asked in a friendly manner. Her obvious distress was apparent on her pretty face and he never could ignore a girl in distress.

"I guess so." She replied quietly, not protesting when he took his seat next to her. They both stared out at the dreary city. "I didn't feel like going to class today?"

"Why not?" Miroku asked, trying his best not to pry into her personal life. She saw the way she was when Brock tried to do it and he didn't want to have the same fate. "Is something bothering you?"

"Well, it's just that Ash is in my Biology class this period and I just don't want to be around him right now." She explained, blushing slightly as she confessed. Miroku shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"Did he do something to you Misty?" He asked curiously.

"Kind of…" She trailed off, but Miroku was quiet, giving her time to formulate her words. He didn't know why she was being so open with him, but closing Brock off the way she had. After all, she had barely known Miroku for a day and Brock she had known practically their whole life, but maybe that was part of the reason she was shutting him out. "He just keeps pressuring me into having sex with him and I'm not ready." She said, ending the sentence with a nervous sigh.

Miroku remained calm, he had talked to so many girls about this very same thing and there was really only one answer he could give her. "Well, if your not ready then you need to tell him that. If he really loves you, Misty, he won't be angry."

"But that's just it." Misty said, looking over him. "He gets very angry. He tells me I don't love him enough and then he brings up all the things that he's done for me and then tells me I can't even do that one little thing for him…" A tear spilled down her cheek. "He's been pressuring me all week and I just don't know how much more I can take."

Miroku's face softened and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a tissue. She took it from him gratefully and a bit embarrassed by her outburst of emotions. She dabbed her cerulean eyes with the soft cotton and then curled it up in her hand. "Thank you." She said, sniffling a little as she tried to compose herself.

The halls were empty and echoing and she hoped no one could have heard her crying. She didn't know why she confessed so quickly to Miroku, she supposed she just needed to tell someone. Someone she didn't really know and Miroku just happened to be that person. Miroku was quiet for a while, allowing her to calm herself down, then he spoke.

"Why did you tell me all of that, but couldn't tell Brock the other day when you were leaving school?" He asked. "He cares about you, he really does."

"I know he does." Misty said. "That's the whole problem. If Brock knew how Ash treated me he would seriously hurt him up and probably get kicked out of school and it would be all my fault." She said looking down. "I just needed to tell someone who I didn't know that well."

Miroku nodded and crossed his arms. "Makes sense, I guess." He said. "Well, hey take my advice, don't ever give into a guy who's pressuring you. Any guy that does that doesn't love you, trust me, I know."

Misty looked over at him. "What? You've done it to some girls?"

"Yes, and I'm not proud of it." He said sighing. "It's a terrible thing to do. Your innocence should be cherished and Ash needs to realize that. If he can't, then you need to find someone who can."

Misty smiled and nodded. "You're right. Thanks for talking to me, Miroku. Sango's so lucky to have found a guy like you."

"Whoa!" Miroku stopped her with a laugh. "Hold on there, I'm not her boyfriend or anything. Just someone she's tutoring."

"Oh, I know that." Misty said, standing up clearly in a better mood. It seemed nothing cheered her up more then discussing her friends love life. "But relationships can start out of the strangest situations." She said.

Miroku chuckled a bit and sat down on the bench in the hallway. "Tell me about it."

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Friday morning was bright and sunny. The pavement of the parking lot held no evidence that it had rained the day before. Once again, Brock Harrison felt like the third wheel as he tagged along behind his two friends, Ash and Misty.

Misty had Ash's arm draped around her neck and her other hand grasped around his wrist. It was a sight that everyone in school was used to, including Brock. It was funny how in front of his teachers, friends and peers he was the dedicated, fun-loving guy that everyone knew and admired. He treated her like a princess at school and any other social event, but when it was just the two of them alone, he wasn't the same.

Ash Ketchum turned angry and pushy and Misty wasn't sure how much longer he was going to accept the answer "no", before he did something to her. Ash was still handing out invitations, to every person in school. He even gave Miroku one because he was "a cool looking guy."

Misty was relieved Brock had agreed to show up for at least a little while, and Miroku was probably going to come to and after their talk yesterday she felt as if she could trust him. Ash tossed a football in his left hand as his other hand was resting respectively on Misty's shoulder.

"So, Brock, make sure you bring some beer or something from your dad's stash." Ash said casually.

The older boy just sighed. "Ash, I'm not bringing anything. Last time I did, I got screamed at and grounded for two months."

"I suppose I can ask Gary Oak. He has an older cousin who can buy beer." Ash concluded, then he smirked. "Better be glad you're my friend Brock, or I'd take you off the guest list."

Brock could have come back with something witty and smart-assed, but he stayed silent. As if being taken off Ash Ketchum's guest list was a blow to his ego, he wouldn't even be going if it wasn't for Misty. Instead, he just rolled his eyes and let it roll off his back.

Ash stopped in front of his weight lifting class and kissed Misty lovingly on the cheek. "I love you, babe. I'll see you at lunch. See ya, Brocko." He said, with a small wave before he strutted into the weight room, which smelled of body odor and sweat.

Misty backed away from the door and strolled down the hall with Brock, now he didn't feel so much as the third wheel. He liked when Ash wasn't around, he could just be with Misty and it could just be the two of them, that's what he liked best, but these moments were rare and maybe that's why he found them so special.

"You know what I don't understand, Brock?" Misty asked as they rounded a corner. "Ash is such a different person when we are at school, or even if we are with you, but when we are alone and it's just the two of us…well, he's different." She didn't know why she was having this conversation here and now of all times, but something about the talk she had with Miroku allowed her to feel more comfortable and perhaps she should try to talk to Brock about it.

He always gave good advice and he knew her, as she knew him.

Brock raised an eyebrow. "How different?" He asked curiously.

"He's been pressuring me to well…you know…" Misty said blushing, remember now why she never wanted to talk to Brock about this. It was embarrassing enough with Miroku, but with Brock it was humiliating.

Brock stopped and grabbed her wrist pulling her back to him. "Misty, has he hurt you?"

"No, Brock…" Misty protested quickly shaking her head. "No, he hasn't. Not yet anyway." She says.

"Are you afraid he will?" He asked.

Misty bit her lip and looked away. "No, of course not. You know Ash isn't like that."

His face was serious as his gaze lingered on the side of her face, she wouldn't look at him and he wasn't going to make her, but he was going to promise her something. He took her small pale hand into his own large hands and enveloped it warningly. "Misty, if he ever does anything to make you feel threatened, let me know. I don't care what time of the day it is, you let me know and I'll be there."

Misty looked at him, rather shocked by his declaration. "Thank you, Brock." She said slowly, realizing she was enjoying the feeling of his hands holding hers. She never realized how handsome he was, or that they were now in a secluded hall where not one other person was right now. The thoughts she was having about her best friend were starting to weird her out and she had to get out of there.

"Uhm," She said, after a moment of just staring into his beautiful dark eyes. "We better…get to class." She stammered, pulling her hand from his warm embrace. He shifted his position from the wall and Misty never realized how wonderful his scent was. It was masculine, mature, and alluring.

"Right." Brock said, offering his hand for her books. "May I carry your books for you?"

"Of course." She said, handing over a heavy stack of books which he handled with ease. Misty allowed a smile to come to her face as she walked in companionable comfort with him to her next class.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sango heard a knock on her door the next evening. She knew exactly who it was and for some reason she had even taken the extra time to apply her make up which she rarely wore. She opened the door to find Miroku standing on her threshold, his books in hand.

"Hello, my beautiful teacher." He said cheerfully. "You look amazing this evening."

"Well, thank you, Miroku." She said kindly, allowing him inside. "Take a seat, make yourself at home. I'm going to run upstairs and get my books."

"Take your time." Miroku said, relaxing on the comfortable couch. He watched her until she disappeared up the staircase then he leaned back and looked up at the ceiling. Who knew an earthling could be that beautiful?

"Well, now you seem a bit preoccupied." He heard an all too familiar female voice from above his head. He turned around to find Hideko perched gracefully atop a bookshelf.

"Hideko? What are you doing here?" Miroku asked, his eyes grew wide as he looked up at the staircase, hoping Sango wouldn't return.

"Relax, Miroku. She can't see or hear me." Hideko informed him. "However, if you speak to much she might think you are talking to yourself and deem you as insane."

Miroku lowered his voice to a whisper. "Yea, well I have a lot of studying to do tonight, so I don't have time for your antics."

Hideko jumped down, landing perfectly on her feet and poised herself on her toes. "I just figured you'd like to know there is a new boy in town who is the key for completing your task."

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What's his name?"

"His name is Marcus Cooper. That's all the information I could gather for you right now, but when you meet him, try and make good friends with him." Hideko told him with a smile.

"Is he part of the 100th couple I'm going to help?" Miroku asked curiously.

"Oh, Miroku, you do ask too many question." She said, patting him on the head. "I think I hear Sango returning." She said, holding her hand over his mouth. "Remember, you never saw me. Adios." And once again she was gone.

Miroku narrowed his eyes and he saw Sango reenter the room. Lucky for him, she was clueless about Hideko's visit and didn't suspect a thing. "Sorry I took so long. I hope you weren't bored."

"No, no." He said shaking his head. "Not at all. Though, I must say I am glad that you have returned."

Sango blushed a little and sat down beside him, cracking open a literature book with a rather long list that Kris had given her of Miroku's missed work. "Alright, so we are reading a Roman Mythology story."

Miroku looked down at the book. "About what exactly?"

"Well, I'm sure you've heard of cupid." She said. "The son of Venus. He's usually depicted in pictures as being a chubby baby with wings and arrows."

Miroku raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Somehow I doubt that Cupid really looks like that."

"Really?" Sango asked, interested. "How so?"

Miroku was caught off guard by her question, but he kept his cool. "Well, think about it. How can a fat, chubby baby make people fall in love and want to you know…have sex."

"Apparently, in roman mythology they thought that it could." Sango said with a giggle. "If you wrote the legend of Cupid how would you describe him then?"

Miroku sat back and made a thoughtful noise from the back of his throat. "Well, he'd definitely be an older, very handsome man. He's be witty, charming and I'd have to do away with the sissy little wings like he has in all of these pictures."

Sango smiled and shook her head. "So, in other words Cupid would be exactly like you."

He nodded and grinned. "You catch on fast." He said.

"Yes, well I'm very astute." She said, flipping a page. "Do you know who is in this picture?" She asked.

"Well, whoever she is, she's naked and pretty hot." He commented, getting a closer look at the picture.

Sango rolled her eyes and playfully slapped his hand. "That's Venus, Cupid's mother."

Miroku quickly reared back. "Uhm, why is she naked?" He asked, grossed out by the fact he was basically checking out his own mother.

"Well, Venus is always naked in most pictures." She said. "In roman mythology she is called Venus, but in Greek Mythology she is most commonly called Aphrodite. She's the goddess of love and eroticism."

Miroku swallowed hard. "Ok, I think I got it." He said, feeling himself turn green. He didn't want to think of his own mother in such a way, but it was one way to kill an erection, that's for sure. He clearly needed a change of subject. "So, Sango," His voice cracked and he cleared his throat. "What about you? Do you believe in love?"

She was a bit taken back by his question and slowly shook her head. "Oh, no. Love to me isn't real. It's just something guys use to have sex. At least that's what I was told."

Miroku's face softened. He of all people knew love was as real as real could get and it always made him quite sad when he heard that someone didn't believe in it. "Well, that's not necessarily true."

"Why?" Sango asked, forgetting about the text book. "Have you ever been in love?"

"If I was I didn't know it." He said, relaxing back into the couch beside her. "And I assume you haven't either?"

"Right." She said, then a few seconds of silence passed between them. "Is that bad?"

"No, it's just…maybe you haven't found the right man yet." He said, shifting closer to her. He looked into her eyes and brushed a dark lock of hair behind her ear. "But, I'm sure you will. Your gorgeous."

She blushed and her lip quivered with anticipation as he drew closer to her. She felt his warm breath brush her lips and his soft fingertips caress her skin. "Any man would be lucky enough to show you what love is." He said, his voice was smooth and handsome.

Her voice was shaky as she spoke. "I've never…been kissed before." She said, her whole body shaking uncontrollably as he drew in even closer to her. His lips were mere inches from her own, and their eyelashes brushed as she closed her eyes.

"Would you like to be?" He asked, finally, after drinking in her scent and her presence. She was beautiful and more in just the physically sense. She smelled beautiful, she sounded beautiful and she felt beautiful.

Sango opened her eyes, her dark chocolate eyes staring back into the wintry depths of his own. With a small nod, Miroku leaned forward pressing a tantalizing kiss to her lips with his own. He felt his own heart stop, then start beating again as he expertly caressed her mouth lovingly with his own.

He nipped at her bottom lip and she pulled on to his shirt, closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of him a little too much. He felt himself becoming excited, experiencing the very same emotion he was destined to bring upon other people, something he had never felt before with anyone else.

His mind was swimming with emotions, as he felt her shaking in his arms. His tongue swept across her bottom lip and her eyes flew open before she pushed him back weakly until he found the strength to stop.

They stared at each other, Miroku's schoolwork forgotten. Sango struggled to catch her breath as her lips tingled from the wonderful sensation of his tongue. He could still taste the flavor of her lip gloss on his tongue and he tried his best to calm his breathing. The thought running through his mind were not going to take him over this time, he wouldn't let it, no matter how tempting they may be.

"Wow." He said, after a moment. He chuckled and sat back. "That was…"

"Bad?" She asked, blushing.

"No! The exact opposite." He said quickly. "It was amazing. Wow." He leaned back and raked his fingers through his thick black hair.

"Well, now I know why people enjoying doing that so much." She said, smiling. She suddenly felt awkward as neither one of them knew what to say after that. Miroku felt as if he was in the middle of some bad teen movie and forgot his line. He never had trouble before talking to girls, but this one had made his mind go completely numb and he didn't want to say anything stupid or offensive. He knew sometimes earthlings can take things wrong.

Sango was the first to break the silence. "Uhm, it's getting late…" She said, not making eye contact with him.

Miroku stood up. "Oh right. I wouldn't want to overstay my welcome."

She led him to the door. "Oh no, your not. I just…need some time to think."

He sighed and leaned against the door frame. "Your not going to hate me for doing that are you?"

She leaned in towards him and gave him a brief, yet thrilling kiss. "Of course not." She gave him a smile and he returned it. His eye sparkled with a lust and she felt something pool between her thighs, just the way he was looking at her was setting her world on fire. "I'll see you at school Monday."

"Right. I'll see you." He said. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." She said shyly as he exited onto her porch, she shut the door softly and leaned against it, replaying what had just happened in her mind. She got her first kiss from an incredibly attractive guy. Her heart was still pounding and her lips were still tingling.

She headed for her room and quickly dialed Misty's number. She had to talk about what just happened for she might just explode.

********************************************************************************

It was Saturday morning, the sun had risen hours ago, but Miroku was still slumbering and drooling on his pillow. He finally did awake, only to wipe off the side of his face and get his cheek out of the puddle of drool that had collected on his pillow, but when he opened his eyes he saw Hideko standing in the corner of the room with her arms folded and a mischievous grin on her pretty face.

His wiped his eyes and peered at her. "Why do you always have to ghost around like that, Hideko? How long have you been watching me sleep."

"Oh, a couple of hours." She said casually. "I would have woken you up, but I didn't have the heart. You looked so peaceful."

Miroku sat up, exposing his half-naked body and a pair of plaid boxers. "Well, obviously there is a reason why you're here." He said, questioningly.

"Well, actually yes." She replied. "You can't just go around kissing people, Miroku. It's against the rules."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Miroku said, kicking the quilt off of him. "You were spying on me last night?"

"I don't like to call it 'spying' as much as I would call it 'looking out for you' " Hideko said nonchalantly.

He sighed and plopped back down on his bed. "I don't need you to look out for me, Hideko. I'm a grown man, I can take care of myself."

"You're 17."

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "17,000 is more like it." He said rolling his eyes.

"Come on, Miroku. Talk to me." Hideko said, sitting beside him. "I know your hormones are raging right now at your age, but you have to learn to control yourself."

"Why does it matter to you?" Miroku said, standing up and walking over to his closet. He felt awkward being half-naked with a girl in the room, even if she was a strange girl.

"Because," Hideko said with a kind smile. "What if you fall in love with her? Then when it's time for you to come back home, you're just going to be heartbroken."

Miroku scoffed at her as he pulled a T-shirt over his head. "Yea, sure. Like I'd ever fall in love." He said. "I've been alive for thousands of years and---" He stopped as he tugged on his jeans.

Hideko looked at him curiously. "And what?"

"And I've never felt like that before in my life." He said, resigning himself to sit back on his bed beside Hideko. "I mean, when I kissed it was like…every nerve in my body was on fire. Oh damn, Hideko, you're right."

The blond girl simply sighed. "Am I going to have to come down to earth in human body form and help you keep that perverted nature of yours at bay?"

"No, Hideko. Really." He said. "I can control myself. Besides, it's not my fault Kris put me with one of the hottest girls in school and I'm required to be at her house all alone with her."

"I suppose your right." Hideko said, standing up. "By the way, that teacher of yours is a total hottie." She said, giggling and in a puff of pink smoke she was gone.

Miroku waved it away with his hand. "Great, now she's got pink smoke." He said, shaking his head. Well, there was nothing left to do now but try to catch up on some English homework so he'd have something to actually turn into Kris Monday morning. Of course, he'd still need tutoring of course. All of this wasn't exactly easy stuff and the picture of the naked Venus was incredibly disturbing to him.

********************************************************************************

Misty was alone Sunday evening, not looking forward to much but a boring evening at home while her three older sisters prepared for dates. She looked at her phone and wondered if she should call Ash, but she already knew how the evening would end. He would end up mad at her for not giving into his pleas to have sex with him.

Her older sister Violet walked into the room, wearing a short green sparkly dress, too much perfume and a sparkly green flower in her blue-tinted hair. "You have my cell phone number right?" She asked, casually as she checked her appearance in the mirror.

"Yes." Misty said, rolling her eyes.

"Good." Her other sister Daisy said as she helped her other sister Lilly with her dress. "Now, remember, if you go out with Ash tonight and things get hot, make sure you totally use protection."

Lilly laughed. "Yea, like Misty would ever get that far with him."

Violet buckled her shoes. "Well, if I was Misty I would totally be after Rocky."

"It's Brock." Misty said.

"Oh, yea. Whatever." Violet said giggling. "He's totally hot."

Misty turned away from then and folded her arms. "Why don't you guys just leave me alone?"

"Oh, chill out, Mist." Lilly said, grabbing her purse from the arm chair. "You know we love you."

"Yea, I know…" She said, sighing.

The three girls left the house and Misty overheard Violet saying something along the lines of "If she doesn't go out with Brock soon, I might." Then it was followed by a fit of giggles from her three sisters.

Misty looked at herself in the mirror. She remembered when they were kids, how much Brock had liked Violet. He used to always make excuses to come over when she was home and for some reason now, the thought of her sister and Brock together, made her insanely jealous.

For some reason, the thought of him being with any girl made her insane jealous lately and she wasn't sure why. She was with Ash and she was completely happy, right? She tried to convince herself time and time again that she was happy with Ash, but when Brock held her hands in his at school the day before she felt something unusual, yet pleasant and welcoming.

She wasn't sure what to think anymore.

********************************************************************************

It was April first, the joker's holiday. Sango knew to be extra cautious of this day and not to be so gullible. She'd never live down the time last year when Gary Oak told her she had left her headlights on the car, only to walk outside to have one his friends blow air up her skirt so everyone could get a glimpse of her panties.

It was the most embarrassing day of her Junior year and this year she wore a pair of jeans. She sat in the library during her lunch break, reading a romance novel and nibbling on a honey bun. She felt a pair of warm male hands cover her eyes and she tried her best to hold back a grin when a smooth voice tickled her ear. "Guess who?" He said quietly.

"It's not Cupid, is it?" She asked jokingly with a grin.

"Eh, close enough." Miroku said with a shrug. "Whatcha reading?" He asked.

Without taking her eyes from the page, she simply held the book up so he could read the title. "Ooh, 'Hot Surrender' " He said, admiring the image of an attractive couple in the middle of rumpled sheets and tugging at each other's close in a fit of passion. "Sounds hot. Thought you said you didn't believe in romance…"

Sango's gaze peered over at him from over the top of the page. "I don't." She said. "I enjoy the entertainment, but none of this stuff really happens. This is all just fantasy."

"So you have fantasies." Miroku said raised an eyebrow at her questioningly and she simply rolled her eyes.

"I'm not obligated to answer that." She said, flipping another page. Miroku peered over her shoulder.

"Have you gotten to the sex part yet?" He asked.

Sango sighed. "No, not yet." She said, starting to get a little irritated. She only had thirty minutes to read, and that was really hard to do when he was looming over her shoulder like this. It was very distracting and Sango didn't really want to admit _why_ she had become so distracted.

Miroku sat down and crunched loudly on an apple. "I read one of those one time."

"I wonder why…" She said, closing the book, giving up on getting any reading done. "Let me guess, you didn't read the actual story, you just read the erotic parts."

"Well, yea." He said, laughing. "My ex-girlfriend was a hopeless romantic. I read one of her novels she had one time."

"Exact opposite of me, hm?" She asked, smiling at him with her eyes. Miroku was at a loss of words for an instant. He leaned back in his chair, wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans.

"Well, maybe that's why I find you so intriguing." He said. "Maybe one day I'd like to show you a thing or two that's in that book of yours."

A deep blush came across her cheeks and she picked up her backpack. "My lunch break is almost over."

Miroku stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Whoa, wait, you're not mad at me about the other night are you?"

"I told you I wasn't." She said, finding herself unable to tear her gaze away from his. Her mouth curled into a smile. "I told you I enjoyed it."

"Trust me, I did too." Miroku said following her out of the library. "I'd like to do it again sometime, if you'd give the chance."

Sango bit her bottom lip contemplatively and tore her gaze away from his. "I…I don't know, Miroku." She said. "We probably shouldn't discuss this here in school. People will hear and start rumors."

"Well, what are you doing tonight?" Miroku asked. "Maybe I can take you out to dinner and we can discuss it there?"

"I have cheerleading practice until five…" She said, still trying to process the fact he actually asked her on a date. She stopped when it finally hit her. "Did you just ask me out on a date?"

He gave her a smooth grin and leaned against her locker as she pulled out her chemistry book. "If you want to call it a date." He shrugged one shoulder and he looked over at Sango, who seemed to be preoccupied with someone down the hall.

"Oh no, it's Gary." She said, shutting her locker.

"Gary?" Miroku asked, suddenly feeling defensive. "What? Is he an ex boyfriend of yours or something?"

"No." She said. "I would never date him in a million years, even if my life depended on it."

"Does that mean I at least have a chance?" Miroku asked with a grin. Flirting was fun and harmless and he hoped Hideko wasn't spying on him right now.

Gary approached the two of them and a cocky grin came across his face. "Well if it isn't little miss sexy thong girl. What have you got on this year, sweet cheeks?"

Sango blushed even more, and the back of her neck burned with embarrassment especially since he bought of her traumatic event in front of Miroku. She was expecting him to laugh, but instead he was giving him a loathsome stare. "Leave her alone." He said in a deep, foreboding tone.

"Oh, you got your little boyfriend protecting you this year, I see." He said, sizing Miroku up. "Well, you know it could have been worse, you could have been wearing granny panties that day." He said with a laugh, and Miroku clenched his fist.

Gary stuck his hands in his pockets and brushed past them. "Tell your boy toy not to get all defensive. I'm after someone else this year anyway." He said, waving a hand as his back faced them and he paced down the hall.

"What an asshole." Miroku snorted gruffly as he relaxed against the lockers. "I can't believe he did something like that to you."

"Oh it's old news." Sango said casually. "The whole school's forgotten about it, he's the only one who still remembers."

"Yea, but still, any man that can do that to a woman isn't a man at all." He said, his gaze burning holes into the back of Gary's head.

"Yes, well Gary isn't exactly mature." She said sighing. "Would you like to walk me to my English class?"

Miroku was caught off guard but agreed very happily and offered to carry her books. "So, do I get my answer or what?" He asked.

She looked at him, taking a few seconds to remember his question. She smiled a bit before opening the door to Kris' classroom. "I guess it wouldn't hurt."

"Hey, that's better than a no."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Misty Waterflower was grateful when the bell rang after seventh period. It was time to go home and Monday was finally over. She headed out to the parking lot, rummaging through her purse for her keys, all the while looking around for Brock. The parking lot was unusually crowded.

People where enjoying the warm spring air, coming out from their hibernation from winter. She herself had even worn a flirty sundress today to celebrate the warm weather. Her red hair was down with a few tendrils tied back at the back of her head. The pale yellow colour of the sundress reminded her of the warm ray from the sun reflecting off the parking lot, and for the summer's heat she was looking forward to after graduation.

She stepped onto a grassy knoll and then behind a car, when suddenly she felt something tugging on her dress. Misty stopped and whirled around, only to hear a terrifying rip and the draft of a spring breeze. The whole parking lot was silent, students stopped talking, cars stopped beeping, even the cars had stopped driving.

Tears welled up in her blue-green eyes and with much regret she looked down. Her thin lacy bra and matching panties were the only thing covering her body from the world. "Oh--my…" She covered her face and started to sob as she heard whistles and laughing from all around, then Gary Oak stood out from behind a truck.

"Well, now we all know why Ash Ketchum dates you, Red." He said with an evil grin. Misty was so shocked she couldn't move, she couldn't speak. She couldn't even from her car. Misty looked around the parking lot, only to see that Ash was perched on top of his own car full of other football team members. He whistled and sped away down the long winding path towards the main road.

Misty's anger grew, but did not overpower her embarrassment. Then she heard it. The sound of heavy footsteps approaching her at a fast pace and before she knew it, two warm hands were placed on her shoulders and she was lifted up. She turned around timidly to see that Brock had come to her rescue, taking the shirt off his back to cover her with.

It was oversized, which she was grateful for and covered her all the way to her knees. Without another second to spare, she buried her face in his bare chest and sobbed as hard as she could as he embraced her. "Gary, I'm going to kick your fucking ass." He tore himself away from her momentarily, and pushed Gary against the truck, his fist grasping tightly onto the collar of his shirt.

"Go ahead, Harrison." He said, with a grin. "Get expelled and don't graduate. My grandfather's the principal, he wouldn't side with you before he would me. Especially since I didn't do anything. It's not my fault, her dress got caught on my spoiler."

"You set her up! You embarrassed her!" Brock growled, slamming the brown-headed boy into the side of the truck. Misty placed her pale hand onto his shoulder and looked up at him with tear-filled, pleading eyes. "Brock, please, I just want to go home…" She said, looking around at the other students, some where still staring, waiting for a fight, but others had gotten on with their lives and had went home.

Gary just smirked down at Brock. "Yea, so let me go, tough guy."

Misty pulled onto his free arm, and Brock let him go. Gary caught himself on his feet and stared at the two as Misty pulled him towards his car. She opened the door to the passenger side and slid in, hugging her knees to her chest and burying herself in the scent and warmth of Brock's shirt. After a second or two he slid in next to her.

"Misty, are you alright?" He asked, concerned.

"I--I just want to go home." She said, her voice shaky as she wiped away large tears that spilled down her cheeks.

He started the car without another word and whipped past Gary who was taken aback a little by the speed and ferociousness of his sports car. Brock didn't speak until he got out on the main highway and the high school was left behind in the dust.

"Misty, I'm sorry I wasn't there earlier. I'm sorry you had to endure that." Brock said, his fists clenching his steering wheel. "I'm going to get Gary Oak, I swear. Last year, it was Sango, this year it was you."

Misty wiped her tears with his shirt. "Brock, it doesn't matter now. We are graduating. He's right. Don't do anything to jeopardize yourself from getting out of there."

Brock kept his gaze on the road ahead. "Well, something needs to be done about him."

"I'm not really worried about him anyway." Misty said, her gaze out the window at the passing trees and other cars. "It was Ash…"

"Ash?" Brock asked. "What did he do? Did he hurt you?"

"No, but…he was in on it." She said, her eyes welling up with tears yet again. "He was laughing and then just sped off. He didn't help me at all…"

Brock sighed. "Misty…"

"I know, Brock." She interrupted him softly. "I know exactly what your going to say."

He leaned back comfortably into his seat as he glided the car down her neighborhood road until he stopped in front of her house. "I know you do, Misty. I feel like a broken record, but you need to forget about him."

"I can't!" She exclaimed. "I just…can't." She opened the car door before he had even fully stopped the car. Brock sighed, parked his car and chased in after her.

"Misty, please don't be angry with me." He said, following her up the stairs to her room. "I just care about you, I hate to see you hurt and Ash is a jerk."

"I need to get dressed." She said, as if she had an ounce of dignity left to her name. Brock, and the entire school had seen her next to naked and she didn't even know why it mattered why she wanted her privacy.

"Right." Brock said, as she went into her room, slamming and locking the door as if she didn't trust him. That didn't mean he still couldn't talk to her. "Misty, look I'm sorry for what happened to you."

She stood in her room, looking at herself in the full-length mirror. She looked deflated, feminine and almost too comfortable in his shirt. What was wrong with her? She had worn his clothes before, borrowed his jacket when it got cold at Ash's football games in the fall, she had even worn his hat when the sun was unbearably bright, so why did this make her feel so warm inside?

She peeled it off herself and threw it down on the bed, quickly tugging on a pair of jean shorts and a Tokyo University T-shirt that belonged to Violet. "No, Brock, I'm sorry." She said, opening the door and staring up at him. "You helped me today…you were the only one that did." She said, then she gave him a light friendly hug and smiled up at him.

His dark eyes shimmered with something, and her face grew serious, her eyes danced with question, and anticipation. He pulled her close to him and tilted her head up. Misty felt her heart race faster as she felt his breath dance over her lips, the heat from his body seeped through the thin material of the shirt, and that's when she realized he still wasn't wearing a shirt.

Misty closed her eyes, not able to stop herself from wanting to know what it felt like to kiss him. It was something she had never really thought of before, but now it was the only thing flooding her mind. He drew closer to her and the world seemed to stop, just before they heard the front door open and they quickly jumped apart.

"Yo, Misty, I'm home!" It was Violet's voice, back from her day at college. She made her way up the stairs, to see the two of them standing awkwardly in the hall, a good three feet apart from each other. "Like, did you ride to school with Brock this morning? Where is your car? Did you wreck it?"

"I'll explain things later, Violet." Misty said, still trying to process what had almost happened in her head. That was definitely weird.

The blue-haired girl smiled as she sashayed down the hall, swaying her hips seductively on her way to own room. "Hey Rocky."

"Hi Violet." Brock said, clearing his throat. "It's uhm…Brock."

"Oh, that's right." She said smiling, then shutting her door to her room.

He shifted his weight from side to side uncomfortably and he couldn't remember a time he was this uncomfortable in front of Misty. "Well, uhm, I better go."

"Right." She said, looking anywhere but in his eyes. "I'll uhm…walk you out."

"What about your car?" He asked. "It's still at school…"

"I'll get my sisters to drive me up there in a couple of hours to pick it up." She said. "Don't worry about it. Just…give it time to all blow over."

Brock nodded and stepped over the threshold as Misty stood at the doorway watching him. He stooped after taking a few steps, turned around and leaned forward placing a small kiss on her forehead. "Everything will be OK. I promise." He said, giving her a reassuring smile and Misty felt her heart skip a beat. She was so shocked and stunned that she didn't move until his car was out of sight.

********************************************************************************

Miroku pulled in front of Sango's house in a very nice red corvette, and sunglasses shielding his eyes from the setting sun. She approached his car and opened the door for herself.

Miroku lifted his sunglasses from his beautiful indigo eyes. "Hey gorgeous."

"Hey Miroku…" She said, trying her best to not sound so flattered when he called her 'gorgeous', she hardly thought of herself as 'beautiful' or 'sexy'.

"So, how does dinner at the Tokyo Inn sound, hm?" He asked. "I can even reserve a room for two if you like. Room service. Maybe we can play out of the hot scenes in that little romance novel of yours."

Sango laughed and leaned back in the seat. "Dinner sounds great. Just dinner." She said, crossing her newly shaven legs, which did not escape Miroku's roving eye.

"Alright, I can live with that." He said, flipping the sunglasses back over his eyes as he cruised down the road. He leaned back comfortably in his seat and wrapped one arm around Sango and steered with his other hand. "So, since I'm the luckiest guy in the universe tonight, I wanted to take you somewhere nice and expensive."

"But this is only our first date…" Sango said.

"So, you admit you want more than just one with me?" He said slyly.

She was a bit surprised by what she had said, and she looked away from him feeling thoroughly embarrassed. "I…I never said that."

He simply grinned and allowed his mind to drift back to Hideko. He would bet his entire immortal life that she would be lecturing him when he got home from his little date, at least she wasn't rude enough to interrupt him while he was still on it. He peered over at Sango and his heart pounded. Even if he did get a lecture from Hideko, the way she looked tonight made it all worthwhile.

Once they arrived at the restaurant, Sango was truly was surprised at how expensive the place looked. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and expensive candles lit a long hallway that led to the host podium. Miroku had even made reservations.

They were seated in a cozy corner booth, with cushioned seats and backrests. The tables were wooden and polished and the menus were sturdy, the items were written in italics and Sango was astounded by the prices. "Are you sure this isn't too much?" She asked, curiously. "I'd hate for you to spend all your money here."

"Sango, don't worry about it." He said softly. "Really, it's not a big deal. I've got the money." He promised her. "Besides, this is only the first date. I want to make a good impression."

She leaned forward and smiled inwardly. "You already did that Friday night…"

"True." He said with a smile. "But perhaps, I want you to let me do it again." He stared into her eyes, admiring the way the candle light reflected off the deep chocolate hues. His mouth felt dry and he longed to taste her sweet, slightly-less virgin mouth again. Their staring contest was cut off when a man approached their table.

He was perhaps a few years older than he and Sango. He was handsome, dark-skinned and distinguished. "Hello." He said. "I'm Marcus Cooper. I'll be your waiter tonight."

Marcus. Marcus Cooper. Miroku immediately started trying to remember where he heard that name from. Hideko had said this was the man, the key to helping him complete his task. She said he'd be meeting him in just a short while, though he wasn't sure why he was so important. He didn't _look_ important.

Besides, on top of that, he was staring at Sango and smiling and that was beginning to piss Miroku off, but he knew he had to keep his cool. After all, he did want to finish his task. Being a matchmaker wasn't an easy job.

"What can I get you to drink my lovely lady?" Marcus asked, peering down at Sango with a smile. Miroku wiggled in his seat uncomfortably as Sango glanced towards him momentarily before deciding.

"Water for me, please." She said politely.

Marcus smiled and then turned his gaze towards Miroku. Miroku cleared his throat. "Uh, water is fine for me as well." He said, trying his best to sound friendly.

He walked away, leaving the two of them alone again together in the booth. Sango didn't seem too distracted from Miroku and that was a huge relief to him.

Within fifteen short minutes, their dinner was delivered and Miroku was enjoying what Hideko would call "Earthling food". Sango was a bit too nervous to eat, but took small bites here and there, trying her best to act casual. Marcus came by every couple of minutes to refill Sango's drink without her having to ask and of course Miroku had to ask to get more water.

When he finally came by with the bill, Marcus handed the ticket to Miroku, assuming he was the one to pay fro the bill, then leaned on one hand while he waited for Miroku to shovel out the money. He cocked his head to the side, ignoring Miroku thoroughly. "So, gorgeous, is he your boyfriend?"

Sango looked to the side, then over his shoulder towards Miroku who had slapped a good amount of money on the table. "Uhm, well no, not exactly." She said.

"Good." Marcus growled sensually as he slipped a piece of paper from his back pocket and quickly jotted down his number. "Call me up, baby." Sango took the paper from his hesitantly, as he scooped up the money and made his way to the back.

Miroku stood up. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

She looked at him quite surprised. "Don't you want your change?"

"Forget the change." He said, as he quickly led her out of the busy restaurant. "I just want to make sure I leave here with my date."

"You really don't think I was going to call him do you?" She asked, a bit concerned. He stopped when they reached his car and without another word he placed a kiss on her lips. Hideko's words ran through his mind, he knew he wasn't supposed to do this. He knew later it was only going to break his heart and hers, but he couldn't stop himself. He finally pulled away and looked at her.

"Are you?"

"No." She said, showing prove by chucking the number into the trashcan. "I…I like you."

Miroku leaned in closer to her and brushed her dark hair from her face. "Well, I like you, too, Sango." He said with a smile, before kissing her again. A long, slow, sensual kiss under the dark sky and early April air.

He finally pulled away when he regained his senses. They stared at each other in the moonlight for a long moment. "I better get you home, before your brother starts to worry."

"Oh, right." She said, as he opened the door for her.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"I saw what happened." Hideko said, appearing out of nowhere on top of Miroku's bookshelf.

Miroku narrowed his eyes up at his blond mentor. "If I have sex with her, are you going to spy on me then?" He asked, seemingly annoyed.

"Are you planning to?" Hideko asked in surprise. "I would certainly hope not, Miroku. She's still innocent, unlike those other girls you were with." She said, checking her nail polish casually. "Besides, we didn't send you down here to sleep with ever pretty girl you see, we sent you down here to help people fall in love."

It was Tuesday night, Miroku was trying his best to get some English homework done. The day was uneventful, almost boring for Miroku, except for the thirty minutes he got to spend with Sango in the library at lunch time as she helped him catch up on his assignments.

"What happens if I fall in love?" He asked. "Then what?"

"Oh, silly, Cupid doesn't fall in love." She said, snatching his book from his desk. "If you actually sit down and read, you would know that, in the story of Cupid, he drops an arrow, stabs himself in the foot and thus falls in love with himself, unable to love anyone else."

Miroku stole the book back from her. "Maybe so, but I haven't stabbed myself in the foot with no arrow."

"Well, you've slept with plenty of girls, haven't you?" She asked.

"A lot. No, I'm not proud of it."

Hideko let her feet dangle off of his bed. "And have you fallen in love with any of those women?"

Miroku's back was towards her as he thought back to all the women he had been with, some were girls back home, but most were here on earth, and most he had been with back in the fall when he had first come to Tokyo high. He was surprised he hadn't seen Sango before, but the school was so huge and over-populated that he met a new person everyday, and didn't see a lot of the same people unless they happened to be in his class.

His shoulders slumped and he sighed. "No."

"My point exactly." Hideko said. "So, please do be careful. I'd hate to see you get hurt."

"Hey, look, you sent me this hell on earth called high school." He said. "Atleast let me enjoy the little bit of heaven I did find in this girl for a little while."

Hideko sighed and folded her arms. "Get some sleep, Keseki. Tomorrow's Wednesday and you have an English test."

"Yea I know." Miroku said, heading towards his bed. "Goodnight Hideko."

"Nighty night, Cupid." She said, disappearing out of his room. He closed his eyes and let his tired mind drift back to Sango. His heart ached, the more he thought about how he couldn't be with her, the more his disappointment grew. She was the single, most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on in his entire life, and yet he could never have her.

She didn't even know his secret, though she jokingly called him Cupid, she still didn't know that he really was Cupid. He knew Hideko was wrong, why couldn't Cupid fall in love? After all, he didn't ask to be born this way, he didn't even ask to come here and meet her. He met her for a reason, and he was going to find out why.

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"Hey," Miroku heard Brock Harrison's voice call for him from down the hallway on his way to the cafeteria. "have you seen Misty today?"

"No." Miroku replied with a shrug. "She wasn't here yesterday either. I heard about what happened on Monday. Is she alright?"

Brock shook his head. "I don't think so. She hasn't called me in two days."

"She's probably still embarrassed." Miroku concluded. "Sango hasn't heard from her either. What about Ash? Has he?"

"Probably not." Brock said, his voice taking on a deep, angry tone at the mention of the other boy. "Not only was he in on the prank, but he laughed at her and didn't even help her. I'm surprised they haven't broken up yet."

Miroku spotted Ash Ketchum, walking down the hall, surrounded by a group of girls. He wore his baseball jacket the school emblem on the back. He carried a basketball under one arm and slung his backpack over his shoulder with the other. "Hey Keseki, Harrison…" He said with a wave of his hand and continued his way down the hall, followed by his loyal fan group.

Brock simply looked away. "I think I might skip next period and go over to Misty's to check on her. I can see that Ash isn't going to do it."

"He doesn't even seem to have noticed she's been absent for two days." Miroku pointed out.

Brock changed course and headed for the parking lot, checking around to make sure he didn't get caught skipping school. He was worried about Misty, it wasn't like her to miss school two days in a row and it most definitely had to do with what had happened to her on Monday.

Within ten minutes he found himself in front of her house, her sisters were home and he wondered if Misty had told them about what had happened to her yet. He knocked on the door and waited for a reply. When the door finally did open, Misty's pink-haired sister, Lilly opened the door.

"Oh my god! Hello Brad!" Lilly said with a smile. "Nice to see you here."

"Thanks, and it's Brock."

"Oh right." She said, inviting him in with a gesture. "May I get you anything to drink, Brad?"

Brock sighed and shook his head. "Uh, no thanks. Is Misty here?"

Lilly closed the door softly behind him. "Yea, she's upstairs not feeling well. She's been asleep all morning. Do you know what's wrong with her?" She asked, sounding deeply concerned for her little sister.

He shrugged his shoulders. "No, I couldn't imagine what's wrong with her." He said, knowing now that her three sister's didn't have a clue about what had happened. "Do you think she'd mind if I went up and talked to her?"

Lilly's eyes sparkled. "I don't see why she would. I know I wouldn't, Brad." She said, staring at him with a smile. Brock returned it, wondering why girls at school didn't fall all over him like the three of them did. Speaking of which, he wondered where her other sister, Daisy was until his question was answered when he saw the blond appear from the kitchen with a pitcher of lemonade.

"Oh my god! Hi Rick!"

"It's Brock…"

"Would you like some lemonade?" She asked sweetly. "I made it extra sweet just for you."

Brock headed for the stairs. It was like a mine shaft in this house, he couldn't take two steps without running into one of those girls who seemed to be utterly fascinated with him, yet neither one of them could get his name right. The only Waterflower sister who got his name right every time had locked herself away in her room. "No thanks, Daisy." He said.

"Oh, Alright." Daisy said frowning over at Lilly. Violet was smiling at him as he ascended the staircase, twirling a lock of dark blue hair on her finger.

"Hey Rocky."

He waved, deciding against correcting her. They would never learn. He reached Misty's door and tapped lightly with his knuckle. "Misty?"

It was quiet inside and he leaned against the door, pressing his ear to it. He could hear the radio playing, very low, or maybe it was her television, but she was definitely in there. "Misty, it's me, Brock."

He waited patiently for a few moments as he heard her shuffling around inside, then the door opened quietly and her peeked around the side of it. Her eyes were red and puffy and she looked tired. "Brock? What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you." He said, pushing himself from the wall. "I was worried about you. You haven't been to school in two days."

"Well, do you blame me?" She asked. "I was humiliated." She opened the door wider and invited him in. He stepped into her slightly messy room, and he couldn't help but notice Misty had let her hair down. It wasn't brushed or fixed, but for some reason he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her. He noticed his T-shirt was balled up and placed next to her pillow and he wondered if she had been sleeping with it.

"I know." He said finally, sitting down on her bed, just like he always did when they had talks. Most talks were about Ash and how much of a jerk he had been, and Brock realized just how many talks they actually had about that subject. Too much, in his opinion.

"Did you skip class to come and see me?"

"Yes. I told you, I was worried." He said as she sat down next to him. "But the whole school has forgotten about it, I'm sure."

"I bet not." Misty said. "I bet Gary reminds them everyday. Besides, who's going to forget a red-head standing out in the middle of the school parking lot without any clothes on?"

Brock chuckled and she looked at him coldly. "Sorry." He apologized, then his face grew serious. "Hey, look, one day you're going to look back at this and laugh."

"I doubt it…" She said, folding her arms and looking away from him. "Ash hasn't called me in two days, not even to see if I was alright."

He immediately started thinking about Ash and how he had those girls hanging around him. A mix of anger and concern grew inside him and he sighed. "That's why I came here, Misty. I want to be here for you, even if I'm the only one."

Misty looked towards him, consciously trying to straighten out her hair. It was a tangled mess and she suddenly felt a little embarrassed about her appearance in front of Brock. "Thank you, Brock." She said.

He pulled her into a tight hug, and Misty was surprised about how much she liked the feeling of his arm around her. It was a big, warm bear hug, the kind of hug only Brock could give. She felt safe and warm when he hugged her, something she never got with Ash. She was so preoccupied by the way he was making her feel, that she didn't even notice when he stopped hugging her. Brock kept his seat on her bed and she finally mustered up a smile.

"I guess it wasn't so bad." She said, giggling softly.

"Yea, see." Brock agreed. "Don't let Gary get to you. He doesn't matter." His hand clasped over hers and she looked up at him. Her cerulean eyes met his own dark ones and she felt her heart skip a beat.

He leaned in closer to hers and she once again felt the heat from his body, his warm breath on her lips and his hand cup her cheek. He captured her lips in a warm, chaste kiss. It was simple and innocent at first, but it ignited a fire in both of them that neither one knew existed. He deepened the kiss when she didn't push him away and before he knew what was happening, she had pulled him down with her onto the bed. Misty lay flat on her back, still kissing him, her passion growing by the second until finally, she pushed him off of her.

"What are you doing?"

"I…I…" Brock stammered. "I don't know!"

"You pervert! You only came by here to kiss me, didn't you?" She scowled at him, her voice was shaky and her body was heated.

"No, Misty, it just…it just happened. I don't even know!"

"Get out, Brock." Misty ordered him. "Just please, get out."

"But…"

She reached around and grabbed his shirt, then flung it at him from across the room. "Please, go…"She said, her body was shaky and Brock caught his balled shirt in his hands.

"Alright, alright. I'm going." He said, heading for her door. "Sorry, I upset you." He closed the door behind him and he heard her sobbing from inside. Maybe he made a huge mistake by kissing her, but that didn't change the fact that he had enjoyed it and he had to find the way to hide that evidence from her sisters.

His shirt smelled of her perfume, his shampoo and her body wash. Misty's scent was all over it and he couldn't remember a time when he loved her scent so much. What had just happened between them was definitely not planned, yet it felt so right and he longed to do it again.

He made his way down the stairs where he saw Daisy busy dusting furniture. "Is Misty OK, Rick? I heard her crying and yelling…"

"Oh, she's fine." Brock said with a shrug. "You know, just that time of the month." He said with a shrug.

"Oh dear." Violet said with a frown. "What a bummer."

"Totally." Agreed Lilly. "Would you like to stay for lunch, Brad?" She asked.

Brock shook his head. "I'd love to, Lilly, but I better get back to school, I don't want to miss my last class."

Violet stared at him starry eyed. "Wow, handsome and smart." She said with a giggle. "Have fun at school, Rocky."

"Thanks." He said, waving at the three of them then exiting the house. He stared up at Misty's window, the curtains drawn and he knew he had crossed the line of friendship and he wondered how long she'd be mad at him for, if she ever did forgive him.

********************************************************************************

The news about Ash Ketchum's party had gotten around the entire school by Thursday morning. Sango had already convinced Misty that she wasn't going to be able to make it, despite that her best friend had begged her to come so she'd have another female to talk to. Now it was just Miroku she had to convince.

She sat in the library next to the window, once again reading a romance novel and blocking out the rest of the world. It was a dreary, rainy day outside and quite chilly for the month of April.

Miroku sat beside her, quietly, waiting on her to say something to him. She had noticed him, but didn't speak to him because she knew what he was going to ask. He tapped his fingertips on the table until she finally looked up in annoyance.

"What?"

He smiled, despite the hint of irritation in her voice. "Are you sure your not going to Ash's party?"

"Positive." She replied. "I have a lot of studying to do."

"Sango, you study every weekend." He said, leaning back into his chair, ignoring the fact she was obviously trying to ignore him. "C'mon, have a little fun."

Sango peered up at him. "And why are you so concerned? Why are you going to Ash's party? You know, all that it's going to be is a bunch of his friends getting drunk and picking fights. I have better ways to spend my Saturday night."

Miroku leaned forward and she bookmarked her page. Well, the real reason he was going is because Hideko had instructed him to because he was supposed to play matchmaker, but he couldn't let her know that. "Well, Brock wanted me to go, and I think Misty really wants you there." He grinned. "Besides, you could be my date."

She smiled and peered up at the clock. "Alright. I'll go, but I'm not staying past eleven."

"Great. I'll come pick you up Saturday then, my dear." He kissed her hand, and picked up his backpack, then exited the library. The bell rang and Sango begrudgingly headed to class.

She was quite surprised to see that Misty and Brock were seated across the room from each other. Brock glanced over at the redheaded girl, who had been staring back at him secretly, then just as quickly looked away when their eyes met. Sango wondered what was going on, or what happened, but she didn't ask questions, she just sat down in the back row.

********************************************************************************

Three o'clock seemed so far away from Misty and she couldn't bare to be in her last class, especially since Brock had to sit right next to her. Today, she couldn't even look at him, or be in the same room as him. Yesterday had definitely scared her, and yet what scared her the most was the fact that she enjoyed it and wanted to do it again.

She quickly made her way outside and made a beeline for her car, but was stopped when she felt someone grab her wrist. She whirled around to find the one person she didn't want to look at. "Brock. Let go!"

"Misty, c'mon, talk to me."

"No."

"C'mon, you can't just not talk to me forever." Brock said sighing. "You will have to forgive me at some point."

"No I don't." Misty said, tearing herself away from his grasp.

"Yes, you do." He said. "Look, I know yesterday was strange, but--" He looked around. "We shouldn't talk about this out here. Both of us are supposed to be in class. Let me take you to the park, we can talk there."

Misty looked back towards the school, then at Brock, then finally towards the parking lot. She silently agreed and he helped her into his car. Neither of them spoke for a long time, Misty just stared out the window and Brock concentrated on the road ahead. It wasn't until they arrived at the small, empty park just a mile from the school that the silence was broken. "Are you angry with me, Misty?" Brock asked her finally.

She sighed deeply and looked up towards the sky through the windshield. "No, not angry, just…confused." She said, trying to choose her words carefully. "Brock, none of that was supposed to happen. This…what we did…it can't happen."

He looked towards her for a long moment, though she didn't make eye contact with him. "Why?"

"Because," She began, not really knowing the real reason why. "It's just…weird. You're my friend. I'm with Ash. We're not supposed to be--"

"Did you feel anything yesterday?" Brock interrupted her, their eyes met and her cerulean gaze grew damp with tears.

"Brock, please…" She said, wiping a tear that had rolled down her cheek. "Don't make this any harder than it already is. Just…promise that won't happen again."

He felt his heart sink and he slumped down in his chair. "Well, wait a minute, you're the one who pulled me down on top of you. That was all you."

Misty blushed and looked towards down the floorboard at her feet. "I…I don't know what that was. I guess I just got caught up in the moment."

"Yea, well…" He grinned a little and looked towards her. "I'm not complaining or anything, but when you do something like that it kind of makes a guy think you might like him."

"Sorry if I made you feel like that, Brock." She said finally, the interior of the car was growing hotter by the minute and she wasn't sure if it was just her imagination. "But you know I love Ash."

He never realized how much those words could hurt him, coming from her, but right now they shattered his heart. "I know, and I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I promise."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Friday night was a hot, humid night. The school week had been a long one for Miroku and he honestly couldn't wait until he was done with this. Though, he had to admit, since he met Sango, it's been a little more bearable.

It was only ten-thirty and Miroku had energy to burn. Hideko was obviously busy with something else other than bothering him, so that left him alone and bored. Miroku lay back on the couch, one leg hanging over the back and the other stretched out as he flipped through the channels. Nothing had seemed to catch his interest and he flipped it off, peering over at his cell phone that lay on the coffee table.

He bit his lip contemplatively and picked it up, searching through his virtual phone book for one number. Sango Noriko's number. Hopefully, he wouldn't wake her up, or interrupt her studying but it was a chance he'd have to take.

Sango heard her own telephone ring, and did not take her eyes off the page in her math textbook while she reached for her phone. "Hello?" She asked, absently.

"Hey there, Beautiful." His voice was recognizable and Sango felt her heart skip a beat.

"Miroku?"

"Of course it's me!" He said with a chuckle. "Hey, I know it's kind of late, but I was figuring if you weren't too busy maybe we could hang out. I have a pool in my backyard, we could go for a swim."

Sango laughed and shut her textbook. Well, the image of Miroku half-naked and wet was enough to distract her from her studies. "Miroku, I was studying."

"_Was_?" He asked. "So your not now?"

She twisted from side to side a bit nervous about what he was asking. He would see more of her body than she would want this early in their relationship. "Well…I suppose I could come by for a little while."

"Great." Miroku said. "I'll be waiting on you, gorgeous."

He heard her laugh, then without another word she hung up. He looked down at his cell phone with a grin and he could hardly wait until she arrived.

********************************************************************************

A whole twenty minutes later, she was there in his backyard in an oversized T-shirt and a pair of tight-fitting shorts. He wasted no time stripping down to his swimming trunks and admiring her long, smooth legs before he jumped into the ice cold water.

"Are you sure it isn't too cold?" She asked hesitantly.

"Of course it's cold." He said, peering at her from over the edge of the pool. "But that just gives me an excuse to warm you up. Now, take off all those clothes, you won't be needing them."

Sango slipped off her sandals, her toes sank into the damp grass and she tugged down her shorts, glad that the shirt covered her to her knees. Then she looked over at Miroku, his patient eyes waiting to see the heaven that the clothing concealed. She tried not to think about it as she pulled it over her head. She wondered why she even agreed to come over here so late at night and do such a thing with him. It wasn't like her.

His breath caught in his throat as he admired her in the skimpy bikini. "Wow." He muttered breathlessly and Sango felt her entire body grow hot with embarrassment. Never had a man looked at her so hotly, so searing. He made every nerve in her body ignite into flames. Her breasts were round, perfect, and teasingly exposed to him.

She slipped one long, tanned leg into the clear blue water. The moonlight reflecting off her smooth skin and Miroku could feel the needs of his body driving him to want to touch her. Feel her smooth, soft skin under his rough hands and the thought of making love to her was almost too overwhelming.

She stood there, sweet and innocent. She was thigh-deep in the water, the region of his desire hovered over the slightly wavy water and he felt his body respond to the thought of taking her innocence. He laced his fingers behind his head and watched her as she slowly became accustomed to the water. "It's cold." She complained with a giggle and Miroku pushed himself off the wall.

"Well, come here then." He said, holding out his arms where droplets of water beaded off his skin. She submerged herself in the shallow cold water, and hugged herself tightly until she felt him wrap his arms around her. His muscled chest pressed against her breasts.

He grinned at her as he danced her through the water. "You warm now,love?"

She glanced up at him, the bottom of her long dark hair was soaked by the pool water and her eyelashes held a few droplets on them. She blinked shyly and nodded. His eyes searched her face, from her chocolate brown eyes to her soft, full lips.

Miroku pushed her hair from her neck with his hand and nuzzled her neck with his nose before he placed a few soft kisses there, softly lapping up the water that had collected on her skin. She stiffened a bit, as he traveled down her neck and to her shoulders.

"Miroku?"

"I'm sorry, am I going too fast?" He asked, raising his head back up, his bangs clung wetly to his forehead and his lips were moist from the water. "Forgive me, but I just had to touch you."

She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "No, it's alright. It feels kind of nice actually." Sango commented, her voice shaky. Miroku wrapped her in his warm embrace, she no longer felt the chill of the water.

He couldn't resist stealing a kiss from her softly parted lips.

Miroku knew there was no turning back for him now, he kissed her deeper, harder, searching avidly for her to allow him to explore her soft, feminine body. Her body was pressed against his, her fingers mussed in his slightly damp hair. His tongue pushed her mouth open, almost forcibly. A surge of excitement rocketed through his body and settled in his lower region as he felt the soft wetness of her mouth against his tongue.

The taste and texture of her made him groan and even the sharp coldness of the water didn't help conceal his excitement.

Sango threw back her head as she allowed him to kiss along her throat, and the warm, delicate skin just below her ear. He drew back a sharp breath of need and desire as she trembled in his arms and uttered satisfied little moans.

Slowly, he eased her wet, slippery body from the water and sat her on the side of his pool. He raised himself up, waist high in the water, and kissed her lips again. For the moment, he was content with kissing her, letting his skilled hands explore the firm, yet supple curves of her waist and hips beneath his palms.

"Sango." He whispered hoarsely.

Sango stared back at him with wonder in her eyes as he gently worked aside the straps of her bikini top. The sensation of her soft, silken, lightly perfumed skin against his lips was acting as an aphrodisiac.

She let out of a shaky breath when he tentatively slid his hand over one full breast. Her shoulders were exposed, and he softly kissed her clavicle, causing her to let out a pleasured sigh. She gasped when she felt him start to tug at the cup of her bathing suit, but made no attempt to stop him. She was bewildered by the fact that such an attractive man would find her this attractive. It was one thing to want to kiss her, but he wanted to do other things and when that realization hit her, a warm pool of lust settled between her thighs.

As if in a dream, she saw his lashes lift until he met her gaze. His smoky blue eyes were hazy with lust and desire, shining blackly under the moonlight and the reflection of the pool water. The air was chilly against her skin, but inside she felt hot and anxious. Something extraordinary was happening to her. Sango felt as if her own flesh and bones were melting. There wasn't an ounce of sense left in her brain. The only thing she knew is that he was holding her, looking at her with a sultry desire and her entire body was shaking with an immeasurable joy.

She shaped her hands around his neck, her fingers combing through his wet hair. Without knowing what she was doing, she found herself moving with a sensuality she had never possessed before. He pulled her back down to him in the pool water, the coldness of it soaking her already cold skin. Her whole body trembled, but not because of the chill. He felt hard, muscular and utterly desirable to her as their bodies brushed under the clear, blue water.

Parting her lips, she brought his head a fraction closer. It was an invitation he didn't reject. His mouth descended on hers and he pushed her back against the pool wall. He pushed his fingertips against the small of her back, and her back arched towards him.

Miroku slowly reached for her top again, bringing down the straps more and allowing his mouth to explore every inch and every curve of her soft feminine body. Before she even knew what was happening, she felt him pull her top aside and he let out a low growl when he exposed her breasts to him.

Sango blushed wildly, and she felt his eyes on her. He overcame his moment of shock and his hands started moving on her body under the water again, distracting her from what he was about to do. Then, she felt it. His warm, moist mouth enveloping the peak of her breast. He agonizingly teased her breasts with his tongue and teeth. She couldn't bare it anymore.

She grabbed onto his large, muscular shoulders. Miroku's mind was focused only on her. He wanted to please her, show her how a real man can love such a beautiful woman as herself. Sango touched his naked chest in awe, allowing her fingers to slowly trace the faint lines of his muscles. He groaned with a mix of frustration and an attempt of self-control, he stared at her with his eyes black with passion.

He sat her on the edge of the pool again, and it took her a few minutes to realize that her breasts were fully exposed to him, her bikini top lay behind her, untied and limp. She lifted up, and she pulled his head down to her breasts until his mouth teasingly brushed over each peak of her breasts. She tensed.

She didn't know why, but he must have sensed that she wasn't comfortable because he slowly backed away, watching her, his chest rising and falling with each labored breath. His kissable lips were parted, and his eyes held concern.

"Sango?" He asked, reaching for a coil of her hair that snaked around her neck and wetly clung to her skin.

She covered herself with her arms, even though she knew he was looking nowhere but her face. "I'm sorry. I'm just…a little scared." She said finally, her dark, thick lashes splayed across her pink cheeks beautifully and Miroku felt something twist inside of him.

"It's alright." He said, trying to hide his disappointment. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's not your fault." She said, as she watched his turn around, signaling for her to put back on her bikini top, maybe her shirt too so he wouldn't be tempted. "I just…I've never done anything like this before." She said, fastening the string around her back quickly.

Her long slender leg disappeared at her ankles into the water, and every inch of her body was aroused and hungry and she could tell by the tightness of his muscles that Miroku was just as starved for it as she was right now.

"I should probably get home." She suggested awkwardly standing up as he turned around to face her. He pulled himself out of the water and wrapped a towel around her back. Sango couldn't help but notice the small drops of water slowly spilling down his chest and stomach.

"I had fun with you tonight." He said to her as she pulled back on her shirt, then her shorts, finally feeling concealed enough and less awkward. It didn't stop him from picturing what all those clothes concealed from his eyes.

"Yea, me too." She agreed feeling a bit awkward. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow night?"

"Yea, I'll come get you around seven." Miroku promised her as he walked with her through the gate towards her car. They shared a long sensual kiss before she finally broke away from him.

He waved at her as she pulled out of his driveway and he sighed, wondering what she was really thinking about tonight's events. He stepped back into the pool area and closed the gate, sitting down on the cement pool deck where Sango had set just moments before and stuck his feet into the seemingly now heated pool.

"Why the long face, Keseki?" Miroku heard Hideko's voice and didn't bother to turn around to look at her.

"Do you think she's angry with me?"

"Well," Hideko said, sitting down next to him and slipping her feet in the pool as well. "if I had a guy kiss me like that, I sure as hell wouldn't be angry with him."

"Guess you're right." He concluded with a shrug. "So, what's up with his Marcus Cooper guy, huh? I haven't heard anything about him since Monday."

"Oh, he'll come back into the picture soon enough." Hideko concluded, admiring her nail polish under the water. "But do promise me one thing, Miroku." She paused while he made eye contact with her. "Promise me you won't be heartbroken, no matter what happens."

Miroku stood up, his body was dry except his feet. "Don't worry about me, Hideko. I'll be fine." He promised then walked through the pool gate back towards his front door.

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It was Saturday afternoon and Misty wasn't looking forward to the evening at all. The day was overcast, the sky was a thick gray and even the inside of the mall seemed gloomy. Sango searched through racks of dresses, suddenly feeling concerned of how she would look in front of Miroku tonight. She almost seemed preoccupied with it.

In fact, she seemed almost more enthusiastic about it then Misty did, which was unusual. "Misty, is everything alright with you?"

The redhead looked back at her brunette friend with surprise. "Of course. Why do you ask?"

"Well, no reason really." Sango admitted. "I've just noticed you've been acting a little strange around Brock lately. Did you two get in a fight or something?"

Misty swallowed hard. "Not exactly."

"Well, what happened?"

"Well, uhm…maybe, I sort of, kind of…" She trailed off and took a deep breath. "Kissed him."

Sango's eyes grew wide and she dropped the garment she held in her hands. "You kissed Brock?"

"Sh!" Misty quieted her down immediately and her face was almost as red as her hair. "Don't be so loud. It was only once and it wasn't even that good, so just forget it."

"Is that why you two have been acting like you have the plague or something?" Sango asked curiously, picking up a short, tight pink dress that she normally wouldn't have even thought to look at before, but tempting Miroku's sexual attraction towards her was way too much fun.

"Well, actually, he kissed me." Misty added, ignoring Sango's question. "And what about you and Miroku?"

It was Sango's turn to blush. "What about us?" She asked.

"Well, I know you kissed him. You told me remember?" Misty asked. "I bet he's good isn't he?"

"Yea, so I kissed him." She said, feeling defensive. "It doesn't mean I like him or anything. Besides, atleast I didn't kiss my own best friend."

Misty tugged a dress off the rack, once again not wanting to get on the subject of Brock Harrison. "Well, is that all you two have done? You spend an awful lot of time together."

Sango hated herself for blushing. She could have lied and said yes, but the deep pink on her cheeks gave her away and Misty knew her better than that. "Well, kind of…" She said, heading back to the dressing rooms with the pink dress she had found. "I didn't sleep with him if that's what your asking." She said, closing the door to a stall.

Misty giggled and shut the door to the stall next to the one Sango had chosen. "I didn't say you did. Your getting awfully defensive."

She bit her lip. She was defensive wasn't she? And about what? She had nothing to be ashamed of, she was almost eighteen years old and could do as she pleases. A minute later they both stepped out of the stall, after rechecking their appearance in the mirror a few hundred times, then got each other's judgment.

After much contemplating, they decided to buy the dresses. It wasn't until the two girls walked out of the small dress store that Sango spoke. "I guess I am being a little too defensive. I mean, I do like Miroku a lot, it's just…"

"It's just what?"

"It's just I have this feeling he's hiding something from me." She confessed. "Something he doesn't want me to know. I mean, I try not to read too much into that, but it's just a feeling."

Misty looked down at her feet as she walked. "Well, he seems to really like you Sango and he is cute. You can't deny that."

"Well, you're right about that." Sango said giggling. "I mean he's the one who convinced me to go this party tonight."

"Yea, and look at it this way," Misty added. "You had an excuse to buy a totally cute pink dress too."

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Ash Ketchum lived in a large estate. They were one of the richest families in Tokyo. His father was a professor at Tokyo University and his mother was a lawyer. He was the only child and that also meant he was extremely spoiled.

Unlike Brock Harrison, who's father was a drunk and he had to share a low income household with nine other children. All week he had thought about the unlikelihood that Misty would ever choose him over Ash.

Why would she? He had money, popularity, charm, charisma, and he was considered the cutest guys in school, though he knew for a fact that Misty's three sisters would disagree. Speaking of which, even the three of them were invited and gravitated immediately towards him.

Why couldn't Misty adore him this much?

The large four story house was packed, the windows vibrated from the loud music inside and it was almost defining inside. Misty had arrived hours ago, helping Ash with the food, decorations, and music. Of course, he had convinced Gary to bring in booze and cigarettes from his older cousin and needless to say Misty didn't speak to Gary much. She was actually relieved that the entire house was packed, meaning she had plenty of other people to speak with besides Gary and that included Brock.

It was funny how she wanted to avoid him all week, and now he was really the only person she wanted to be around. It was the loud music, the uncomfortable atmosphere and the people who already seemed drunk before half the guests arrived. She felt safe with Brock, even though there was always the thought in the back of her mind that he would try to kiss her again.

Miroku arrived and squeezed his sleek red corvette into a parking space before helping Sango out gently. "After you, m'lady." He said with a smile and an offered hand.

Sango placed her small hand into his and looked up towards the house, almost in awe by the appearance of it. "Wow, Ash has a beautiful place. Misty told me it was a nice, but she didn't say it was a mansion."

"You should see the mansion I have back home." Miroku said absently, then wished he could take his words back.

"You have a mansion?"

"Uhm…well…uh…" He chuckled. "Kind of. It belongs to my parents back in Kyoto." He cleared his throat and ended his lie, grateful that she had bought into it. He really had to be more careful.

Once inside, Miroku held tightly onto her hand guiding her through the thick, dense, and overheated crowd of people. Some Miroku recognized as school mates and some where obviously a bit older, though he wouldn't exactly call them adults.

Now, why did Hideko want him to come to this party again? He was sure she had her reasons. She always did, though she was so tight-lipped and vague about everything it was frustrating, but somehow if he just followed her advice things turned out alright in the end. He wasn't sure how she did it or how she knew, but as far as he was concerned she was a miracle worker.

Ash had set up a makeshift stage in his large living room. The coffee tables pushed aside and the chandeliers were replaced by large black lights which cast the room into a purple glow. He stepped on stage, pulling Misty along with him. She looked down at the crowd, knowing some of them were thinking back to earlier that same week when that cruel joke had been played on her.

"Are you guys ready to party?" He asked. "I got booze in the back, please drink responsibly. Do not drive home if your not feeling up to it and please, don't throw up in my mom's vases."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

An hour into the party, Sango could hardly hear anything but the loud pumping noise of the music. She still hadn't left Miroku's side, but she was curious as to where Misty had disappeared to. She hadn't seen her friend for atleast a half an hour, or Ash for that matter.

She knew better than to drink the punch, because she knew one of Ash's friends probably spiked it. She looked around in the dark, black-lit living room and wondered why she was here again. Then she looked up at Miroku, her had his arm snaked protectively around her waist and she remembered. That's why.

He sighed and shifted his weight a little, feeling awkward. "Do you care to dance?" He yelled in her ear over the loud music.

"Uhm, sure." She said, feeling a bit shy and she didn't know how she could possibly be shy after a night like last night. The rhythm of the music was fast, but he simply held her, looking deep into her eyes and remembering the night before. He remembered how perfect her curves were, how soft and smooth her skin was, how perfect and floral her hair smelled and he longed for her again.

Miroku didn't really care that the music was too loud, because he didn't need to talk to her right now. He was honestly just content with holding her in his arms, feeling her softness beneath his palms and looking at the subtle hints of her features under the dark light. That is, until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

Confused, he turned around only to have his jealousy grow and his surprise grow even further. It was Marcus Cooper, the fool that tried to get a date with Sango the same night he was on a date with her. So Hideko was right. He did make his appearance soon enough, too soon in his opinion.

"May I cut in?" He asked, taking a sip out of his solo cup.

"Uh, no, I don't think so." Miroku said, placing his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest. "As you can see, I'm dancing with my girl."

"Oh, she's your girl now, huh?" Marcus asked, tipping his drink towards Sango in a gesture. "Funny, I thought you said Monday you two weren't an item."

"Yea, well a lot can happen in a week." Miroku informed him, wrapping his large arm around Sango's small shoulders possessively. Marcus didn't seem to be fazed by that.

He simply peered down at Sango, and she noticed he was much taller than she remembered. She pressed herself against Miroku and she could smell the liquor from his drink. "Is this why you didn't call me, sweetheart? Because you've been messing around with this clown?"

"Hey, I'm not a fucking clown!" Miroku hollered, surprised by how loud his voice really was over the music. He clenched his fist and Sango placed her hand over it.

"Miroku, just ignore him." She said, not sure if he could hear her. "Marcus," She said, raising a voice a little so that she could be heard and sound assertive. "please, I don't want any trouble. I want to dance with Miroku. I came here with him tonight as my date."

Marcus pressed his lips together and his eyes met Miroku's, both men staring each other down and both prepared to rip the meat off each other's bones. "Alright, cool." He said, raising his chin up at Miroku and giving a wink towards Sango before he walked away.

Miroku relaxed a bit, slumping his shoulders down and let out a deep breath. He looked down at Sango and something inside him clicked. He suddenly became jealous at the thought of any other man having her but him. The thought of any other man kissing her luscious pretty mouth, or any other man tracing the lines of her feminine curves. He wanted her, and he wanted to be the only man for her.

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"Ash," Misty spoke up as he wrestled her into his own bedroom. "Ash, I want to go back downstairs."

"Why, Mist?" He asked, pulling off his shirt. "We can have more fun up here." He pushed her down on his bed, which was soft and familiar under her. He crawled on top of her and assailed her neck with kisses and traced a finger between her breasts and across her belly button.

"Because, Ash…" She began, but was interrupted when he placed a kiss on her lips. He pulled away and stared down at her, her hands running timidly over his chest and abs. She tried to convince herself that she was comfortable with this, but it wasn't working.

"You know I love you, don't you?" He asked. "You're the most gorgeous girl at school and I feel so lucky to have you."

Misty's face softened and she thought back to when Brock had kissed her. She wouldn't have felt half as guilty if she would have just pushed him away, but instead she pulled him towards her, falling backwards onto her own bed with him and enjoyed the feeling even more then she intended. She couldn't look into Ash's eyes as she answered.

"I know you love me, Ash." She said, not believing her own words.

"Good." He said, lowering himself on top of her, his weight was a familiar feeling to her and she already knew what he was asking. She felt panicked.

"Ash, I…"

"Please, don't say it Misty." He said, the liquor on his breath was strong and she resisted the urge to gag. "I want you. I need you." He promised her, pulling back a strand of soft red hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear. "Say you need me too."

"Ash…" She said, pushing him away lightly with her hands. "Please, I don't want to do this tonight."

Ash's voice grew harsh and his eyes grew hard, his stare was a cold, dark pool of anger. "Oh, C'mon, Misty! When are you going to give it up to me? We've been dating for almost seven months now!"

"I'm just…I'm just not ready!" She told him, feeling a lump rise in her throat. She couldn't figure out why she wanted the feeling of being in Brock's arms again so badly right now. She was with her boyfriend, the one she loved, right?

She wasn't so sure anymore.

"Fuck, Misty!" He said, punching the wall. "You're a fucking teaser you know that. You wear that fucking dress, you agree to come up here to my room and get my all excited, then you want to fucking shoot me down!"

"Ash, I'm sorry, I just…" She sat up when he pulled away from her.

"No, you know what? Forget it!" He yelled at her, his voice sounded loud and harsh in the quiet empty room. "You obviously don't know what you have! I can find a girl who will give it up to me in a minute and all you know how to do is fucking tease!"

Misty felt the tears rush to her eyes and spill down her cheeks. "Ash."

"Shut up, you little whore!" She said, slapping her hard across the face. "Using your virginity as an excuse. You're pathetic, I bet you've already been with a couple million guys." He picked up a bottle of Smirnoff and chugged it down before slamming it back down on his dresser. "Fuck you. I don't want some kind of disease anyway."

"Ash, you're drunk. Stop this." She said, curling herself up into a ball and placing her hand over the hot skin on her cheek.

"We're done, bitch!" He yelled. "Get out of my fucking room."

"Are you breaking up with me?"

"Yes!" He yelled.

"But Ash…"

"I said get out, fucking slut!" He took her arm and threw her out of the room. She lost her balance and fell flat on her tailbone. Pain shot through her and her eyes watered. She stood to her feet, her legs wobbly and felt like water. She stood up quickly though, when she heard Ash break another item in his room in his fit of rage, and ran down the stairs.

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Sango could hardly believe she was doing what she was doing now. Mirokuhad somehow managed to back her into a dark corner and he was kissing her senseless, his lips brushing against her ear teasingly from time to time before he'd nibble on the sensitive flesh of her earlobe.

He pulled back from her, the music was a distant sound to both of them, but the crowds of people were still only feet away. His body ached for her as much as she ached for him. She ached for his kiss, his touch and she knew she couldn't live without either one. He pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and stared down at her face which was partially illuminated by a small dim light.

"You're the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on, Sango." He said sincerely. He had said that same line to so many girls before, but this time he truly meant it. He had never seen anyone or anything that made him lose his senses just by looking at them.

She was quiet as he lowered his head and touched her lips once again with his own. She tried to hold back a moan as he felt his own tongue delve into the soft depths of her own mouth. Sango felt her back being pressed against the wall and his own body pressing onto her even further and it was, strangely, a welcomed feeling.

Her own hands explored his body, faintly tracing the outline of his muscles under his shirt and she made a mental picture of what he had looked like the night before, wet and half-nude before her. The mere image made her grow weak in her knees.

He kissed her skillfully and she remembered how he had kissed everywhere on her body last night, including the way he ignited that strange feeling she had never had before when she allowed him to tease her breasts. She still couldn't believe she had done something like that, but at the same time she still couldn't wait until he did it again.

Before she knew it, his hands were exploring under her dress, his fingers running smoothly over her voluptuous thighs, and the small vibrations of his groans on her mouth were enough to send her over the edge. She felt something growing warmer and stronger between her thighs.

Miroku's hands found their way to her backside, but she didn't protest or slap his hand away, instead she pulled his head down towards her neck and almost demanded that he kiss her there. He did and she had to hold herself against the wall to keep from falling over.

"Sango," He growled sensually in her ear before he breathlessly pushed his erection on her now half-exposed thigh. She looked up at him a bit surprised by his size and just how excited he really was and a fleeting moment of hesitation washed over her. "I need you now." He said quietly, looking around at the crowds of people. He knew some of them were staring and he didn't want Sango to get some kind of reputation, luckily it was dark, but he didn't want to take his chances.

"But…"

"Don't worry." He said, pulling away from her reluctantly. The closer he was to her, the more tempted he was, but that still didn't seem to help him much. "I won't do anything you won't let me do. Let's just go find a room upstairs, I promise, no funny business."

Sango was aching for a release to, she longed to be teased by him until she was on the verge of insanity, then to be pleased by him over and over again. She looked around at the other people and realized it would be nice to get out of this chaos and just be with him, only him, so she agreed.

He protectively stood behind her, keeping his hands on her hips as they made their way upstairs. There were many doors, most of them were locked, but Miroku finally found one that opened. He closed the door, the sounds of the party were almost eliminated and the room was surprisingly quiet. It seemed almost unused, the bed was neatly made and it reminded Miroku of a hotel.

This isn't where he wanted to make love to her for the first time, but he needed some kind of release and he could tell she did too. Sango sat down on the bed crossing her legs as Miroku stood by the door and tried to calm himself. "Are you sure I didn't make you feel like you had to come up here?"

"Of course you didn't." Sango reassured him, standing up and walking towards him. "Miroku, I want this just as bad as you do." She told him, and he kissed her without a moment's hesitation. That was all he needed to know before he allowed himself to lose control of his body.

The only thing he was unsure of now is if he could stop, he couldn't remember a time he was so turned on his life and he didn't even know this level was arousal was possible. She lay below him, and he put light weight on her chest, admiring the way the clinging fabric brought the attention the slight curve of her breasts and the dip in her waist to the delicious roundness of her hips and thighs.

Miroku pushed his hard arousal onto her thigh and she shuddered thinking of what it would feel like to have him inside of her, completing her, and loving her. He lifted up her dress with his hands, slowly, and dipped his head down to place small open-mouthed kisses on her thighs.

Sango shuddered with each butterfly kiss and tantalizing touch he was teasing her with and she was feeling things she never thought possible. He felt her shake beneath him and he looked up at her, his blue eyes seem to be intensified by the darkly lit room, the only light was spilling in from a street lamp through the blinds. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She promised him. "This just feels so…good." She said for lack of a better term. Her mind was in a haze right now and he grinned before he continued to kiss her thighs and all the way down her legs.

Her own hands traveled downwards, her skin felt feverish and she was begging to be touched between her legs. Miroku saw this and reached a hand up, pushing her dress up over his hips and rubbing her feminine region with his tender touch. His gaze locked with hers and he smiled at her handsomely.

"Do you like that?" He asked.

Sango felt the warmness build even more as she nodded to him under the blush that now stretched across her nose. It only become more apparent when he pulled the thin material of her panties aside and slowly teased her with his fingers. He was surprised by how wet she had gotten, how soft and ready she was for him. The sensation of her soft, feminine flesh made his arousal reach an even further height and he groaned, almost in pain from it.

She felt him slip his finger inside of her and she gasped when he went too far. He knew she was a virgin and he knew he probably couldn't do much. He apologized for the instance of pain, and slowly teased her outer walls gently before he placed a kiss on her lips.

His free hand reached up around her shoulders, pulling the pink strap down off her shoulder. He broke the kiss and stared down at her as he finished pulling her dress down, his eyes glued to the large curves beneath the black lace that concealed his view of her breasts. He remember exactly what they looked like the night before, and he ran his fingertips over the rough, hard material before gripping the top of it and slowly pulling it down.

Sango didn't protest at all, she just began to tremble as he lowered his head down on the soft flesh. He drew in a breath between clenched teeth before he closed his moist mouth around the small, pink bud in the center of her breast. His wonderfully avid tongue teased her and she felt him beginning to delve deep inside her lower region as she grew more and more aroused.

Miroku moaned her name into her skin and pushed his erection against her. Then, his cell phone rang out. "Damn it." He pulled back a little, preparing to put his ringer on silent, but reluctantly decided against it when he saw who it was. It was Misty. Something was definitely wrong.

Sango wasted no time in pulling her bra back up around to cover herself and Miroku sat on the edge of the bed, trying to ignore his painful erection. "Hello?" He answered, running his fingers through his hair.

"Miroku?" Misty's voice shook with sobs and Miroku grew concerned. The look on his face caused Sango to become concerned as she pulled back on her dress.

"Misty, hey, what's wrong?" He asked. "Why are you crying?"

"I need to talk to you." She said. "I would talk to Brock, but I just can't, not yet. I'm too embarrassed."

Miroku stood up, realizing that his button up shirt had been unbuttoned by a certain dark-headed female. He smiled weakly at the thought and sighed as he stood up. "Alright, well where are you?" He asked, then a small pause. "OK, well, just stay there. Don't move. I'll be down in a minute, I promise." Another pause. "Bye."

Sighing, he shoved his cell phone in his pocket and looked towards Sango. She fixed her hair with her fingers and looked shyly between his legs. "I'm sorry." She said, wondering how on earth she let a thing like this happen.

Miroku moved smoothly towards her and ran a finger down her cheek, tipping her chin up and his gaze met her misty eyes. "I should be the one apologizing." He confessed. "Forgive me?"

Sango nodded shyly and managed a wavering smile which Miroku kissed from corner to corner. "I'll be back." He said. "Just stay put, and we can finish what we started." He said with a wink and Sango uneasily complied laying back onto the very comfortable bed. The room was quiet and dark, and she leaned back onto the pillows, closing her eyes and waiting for her leaping heart to settle down. It refused. So, she stood up and walked across the room over to a dresser with a mirror. She looked at her appearance, her lips were pouting and full, and begging for his kisses.

She never really felt pretty before in her life, but the way Miroku made her feel, she felt beautiful. Then, somewhere in the darkness, a shadow moved behind her in the darkness and she stiffened. "M-Miroku?" She asked, knowing that it couldn't possibly be him, she watched him leave, but her mind was trying to think of a possible explanation.

The room he had left her in was really creepy, but there seemed to be no light bulbs in the lamps. There was no answer and the next thing that came to her mind was that Ash's house was haunted. It could very well have been haunted, it was big, old and beautiful, most houses like that were, but her parents always taught her to not believe in ghosts or anything of the supernatural.

She sat down on the bed, then felt the other end being pushed down by another weight on the other end. "Sango." The voice breathed, and she recognized the voice and the faint smell of liquor.

"W-who's there?" She asked, turning around and peering straight at the figure. The street lamp illuminated his face and she felt a bit relieved. "Ash?" She asked in disbelief.

"Yea, it's me, honey." He crawled across the bed towards her, fixing the slightly rumpled sheets on the bed. "God, I got so turned on seeing you in that black lace bra. Miroku's one lucky son of a bitch."

Sango backed up from him slightly. "Ash, wait, you're drunk. You don't know what you're saying."

"I'm not drunk, damn it!" He said, jumping to his feet. "What is it with you and Misty, huh? Telling me I'm drunk all the time when I know damn well I'm not! I'm just horny as fuck, I know that damn much!" He yanked on her arm and pulled her towards the bed.

"No! Ash, let go of me!"

"Shut up!" He said, throwing her down. Sango kicked and fought with her arms and legs only to have him slap her hard across the face and hold her arms to the bed by her elbows. He grinned down at her obviously intoxicated. "I never noticed how sexy you are, Sango."

She stared up at him, the anger of being overpowered was overtaking the fear in her dark brown eyes. "Let me go!"

"No!" He yelled. "Misty wouldn't give it up to me. I'm tired of waiting around. You're obviously the type of girl to give it up to just anyone, seeing as you came all the way up here with Keseki."

Sango felt slightly embarrassed, but was more scared than anything. "Ash Ketchum! I'm warning you, let go of me!" She said, kneeing him in the groin. His vision blacked out for an instant, but he still kept a tight grip on her arms. The fear was making her nauseous and she began to sob and lose all hope of escaping. This isn't the way she wanted to lose her innocence, she wanted to lose it to Miroku, in a slow, sensual manner, not have it taken from her by this beast she didn't even recognize as Ash.

Everything Misty said about him was true.

"Quit your crying, slut!" He growled angrily in her ear at a deafening volume. But she couldn't stop, she just tried to quiet herself down for fear of getting slapped again. He placed rough kisses along her neck, sucking and biting at the skin and he made a pleasure filled growl before he gripped roughly on her dress and tore it at the seams.

"Ash, please, don't hurt me." She said between sobs, hoping she could find the human that she knew existed somewhere still inside him. "Please, Ash."

"I thought I told you be quiet!" Ash whispered harshly, the liquor on his breath made her gag. He slapped her once again across the face and she tried hard to keep her sobbing down. She wanted to call out for Miroku, or Brock, anyone really, but she knew that would only provoke him more.

Ash smiled down at her half-exposed body and bit back a pleasured moan. "You're way more developed than, Misty. I should have tried to date you in the first place."

Sango scowled up at him, wishing she could use her fists. "I wouldn't date you even if my life depended on it!"

"Ha!" He laughed. "Yes you would sweety, I just didn't give you the time of day because your such a bitch!"

Her anger mounted and she mustered all the strength her body, before she twisted her leg out from between his and kicked him in the groin with the toe of her heel. Ash's eyes grew wide and he lost the hold her had on her arms. He leaned over the bed, and emptied the contents of his stomach over the side.

Sango dashed for the door, holding the scraps of her dress around her as she ran out into the hall. She kept her gaze back towards the bedroom until she knocked into someone, someone very familiar and comforting. "Miroku!" She hollered his name and wrapped her arms around his neck, still shaking and trembling.

"Sango, what the hell happened to you?" She looked up at him, covering herself with her torn dress and she felt even more embarrassed when she saw that Brock and Misty were behind him.

"Ash!" She said, her voice erupting into an uncontrollable sob.

"Oh no…" Misty said, pulling herself from Brock's embrace. "This is my fault."

"Misty," Brock walked behind her. "How is it your fault?"

"I turned him down earlier." She told him. "He was very angry and he just stormed out. Sango, I'm so sorry."

Sango shook her head. "No, Misty, it isn't your fault. I…I just want to get out of here."

Miroku pulled off his shirt and wrapped it around her, it hung just below her hips and he quickly wrapped it around herself, grateful for the fact her bra wasn't destroyed as well.

Ash stood up from the floor just as Miroku entered the room. "What the fuck is your problem, asshole?"

Ash raised an eyebrow. "Ah, coming in to defend your girlfriend I see?" He asked, wiping his mouth clean.

Miroku leapt across the bed and planted his fist hard against his jaw. "Son of a bitch, I should rip you to shreds!"

Ash was pushed back, knocking into the window hard. "Fuck!"

"I should knock your sorry ass through the fucking window!" Miroku yelled, it echoed in the large empty room and Ash looked up at him dazed before his eyes rolled back in his head and his lolled to the side. He was unconscious and Miroku clenched his fist. "Fucking bastard passed the fuck out."

Misty watched him as he moved out of the room, neither she or Brock had ever seen him this mad. Brock looked at Miroku as he stood in front of both Sango and Misty protectively. "Miroku, maybe you should take Sango home."

"I was planning to." He said, peering back at her. She was huddled behind Brock, but she slowly took his offered hand and he pulled her into his embrace. "I'll, uh…I'll see you guys Monday at school. Misty, I'm glad you're away from him." He said with a quick glance back to the bedroom.

Sango was confused, but didn't ask questions. Miroku pushed his way carelessly through the crowds of people, hoping he wouldn't run into Marcus Cooper. Fortunately, he didn't and they made it outside and to his car before she even knew it.

Once he started the car, revved the engine and spun out on to the street, she asked. "What do you mean your glad she's away from Ash?"

Miroku grinned a bit, happy for the lighter note of conversation. "Well, she and Brock finally got over their pride and admitted they had feelings for each other."

"Oh, wow." Sango said, looking back at the house, trying not to remember the trauma that happened their. "Finally." She smiled a bit, but Miroku wasn't smiling. His jaw was clenched tight and his eyes were focused on the road ahead.

"Did he hurt you, Sango?" He asked finally.

"No, I mean, he didn't…you know." She said biting her lip. "I'm alright…" She said in a shaky voice.

He stopped the car at a red light and leaned over, bringing the top of her head to his lips. "Thank god he didn't hurt you. I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you, Sango. I'd lose my mind."

She smiled to herself and looked up at him just as the light turned green. She felt safe, content, and happy. Her decision was made and her heart was completely lost to him. Miroku Keseki was the man she was in love with.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Miroku closed the door behind them as they stepped into her house. She peered back at him shyly, wishing that his shirt was just a bit longer because she felt exposed. He looked up at her as she stood facing him, her back towards the wall. He couldn't help but like the picture of her wearing his shirt and the innocent look on her face fueled his desire.

"Are you sure you're OK?" He asked, clearly concerned.

"I'm fine thanks to you." She said giving him a weak smile. "I think I'm going to go shower off a bit."

"Alright, I'll just wait down here for you." He said, nodding towards her. She hurried up the stairs and Miroku leaned back onto the couch. He stared dazed at the ceiling, blaming himself for the danger he had put Sango in. If he hadn't begged her to go to Ash's party, that wouldn't have happened to her. It was entirely his fault and he hated himself for it.

"Oh, don't beat yourself up, Keseki." Hideko's voice made him jump up and his eyes fell upon the pretty female perched on top of the television set, her long, slender legs hanging over the side. "Howdy."

He sighed. "Hideko, I fucked up." Miroku concluded and slumped on the couch miserably. "She could have been seriously hurt, or worse. I mean, what kind of a man does that to a woman? Especially one so precious and beautiful. What kind of a man am I anyway?"

"Miroku, honey, it's not your fault." Hideko reassured him, growing more concerned. "The point is you helped her, now that has to make you feel better about things doesn't it?"

Miroku crossed his ankles and stretched out his legs in front of him. "I guess so."

"Well, I know something that will definitely make you feel better." Hideko said offering him a smile. Sometimes Miroku forgot how eccentric the people back home could be, and Hideko was definitely one of the strangest. She was always smiling or laughing, even when something was wrong. She always tried to find the silver lining in every cloud. "Your ninety-ninth couples have found each other now, and now there is just one more! Aren't you excited?" She asked.

Miroku looked over at her, not showing great enthusiasm and Hideko's face fell. "Yea, I guess that's cool and all."

The blond girl folded her arms. "Well, now I thought you'd be more ecstatic to find out that you only have one more couple to get together before you can come back home. After all, you were the one that was complaining about this place."

He stood up and started the pace the room. "Yea, well, I kind of like it here now."

Hideko made a thoughtful noise from the back of her throat. "Hm, it wouldn't have anything to do with that girl now does it?"

"No way! You think?" Miroku's voice was heavy with sarcasm and Hideko giggled, offering him a smile.

"Well, that's all fine and dandy, but remember what I told you, don't allow your personal feelings get in the way of your work." Hideko said with a wink. "I better be going before she catches you talking to yourself. Ciao."

He plopped back down on the couch, wondering if Hideko truly had anything else to do besides bother him. It was unlikely. The good news was there though. He did only have to bring together one more couple before he could head home. That was good, wasn't it?

Miroku tried to convince himself it was, but was interrupted when he heard the sounds of soft feet descend the stairs. He looked back to see her, hair long black hair was partially dry and she was dressed in black silk pajama shorts with a thin, matching top. His breath caught in his throat.

Sango moved towards him fluidly. "I want to thank you for helping me tonight." She said, smiling up at him.

"Hey, look, it was my fault you ended up in danger." He said, taking both of her hands in his. "I mean, I'm the one who begged you to go to that party. I'm the one who brought you up to that room and then left you there like a fool. Sango, I'm really sorry and I hope--"

"Shh!" She placed her finger softly on his lips and smiled up at him, a seduction in her eyes that made every nerve ending in his body scream to be satisfied. "It's nobody's fault but Ash's. Don't blame yourself."

He was quiet for a moment, before he cupped her face in his hand. "Still, I'm so sorry." She smelled so sweet, tasted so wonderful…he allowed his lips to soften and parted them slowly so that he could taste her heart-stopping sweetness upon his tongue.

He knew in his mind he was being indiscreet and no gentlemen would act this way. Miroku wasn't worried about the consequences that this would bring upon him later. He had to touch her. Kiss her. Repair the damage that had been done by Ash Ketchum.

Then his fingers were in her hair, releasing that soft, feminine scent of her hair that he associated with her. Her head fit perfectly in one hand, and the more voluptuous dip of her waist surrendered to the other. All the while his mouth moved over hers. He had to obliterate her doubts, make he feel comfortable in a man's arms again and he wanted to show her what love was really like.

Sango felt his hands traveling down towards her thighs as he lifted her up. She was a bit surprised by his quick actions, but she wrapped her legs behind his back as he fumbled up the stairs with her. His mouth was kissing everywhere and he was blinded by her breasts in his face. She giggled when he knocked them both into a wall, before he finally found the door to her bedroom.

Her brother wasn't home, lucky for the both of them, but he still found the need to lock the door. He wanted her to feel completely safe and completely private, unlike she had felt at the party. He still felt like a jerk for convincing her to come up there with him.

There was a slight change in her when the door shut. A subtle hint of urgency and desire that began to show through as she pushed him hard against the wall, pressing her body against him. Miroku was shocked, but welcomed her actions with a smile. He responded, with such fierce passion and relief that he had to press her against himself and kiss her hard to ease his ravenous hunger.

The soft cushions of her breasts burned through on his skin as they pressed hard against his chest, begging for his attention again. His hands reached up and cupped both of them, his fingertips drifting roughly over the hard nubs. She moaned and threw her head back, he stared in amazement, hardly believing how beautiful she really was. He kissed her neck then, his mouth drifting over her silken, delicate skin with frustrating restraint.

He moaned into her skin, kissing every available inch. Across her collarbone, shoulder to shoulder, in the warm hallow of her neck. Miroku shuddered as his drowsy eyes drank in the sight of the swell of her breasts under the silky top. He licked his lips hungrily as pulled down the lose straps of her top, moving his mouth along the soft, supple curves until he closed his mouth over the sensitive skin.

She was moaning and gripping his strong, bare shoulders in agonized pleasure. The heat between his own legs became unbearable as he listened to her soft, almost innocent squeals of pleasure. Lifting his head up to kiss her, he let his hands take over, exploring her perfect body as she pressed him further against the wall.

Miroku felt her hands sliding over his own body, inexpertly-- the innocent touches she was giving him seemed to set his entire body on fire more than he had ever experienced before.

Her tongue slid over his, destroying any self-control he may still have had. He wanted to feel her beneath him, to run his hands over her naked body, to kiss every inch until she was equally as aroused and hungry for his gratification as he was for hers.

"Sango," He whispered breathlessly in her ear, and he couldn't resist nibbling it softly with his teeth. A cocky grin came to his face as she answered with a spasm as she felt a warmness pool between her thighs. "You're so beautiful!"

"_Miroku_," She breathed with heartbreaking sweetness. Her innocence was apparent to him now and he promised himself that he would be gentle and patient with her.

With frantic fingers, she fumbled for the belt on his jeans. He closed his eyes tight to try to regain control over himself, but his hands were already dancing over her hips and he had only one thing on his mind. With an utter of pure helplessness, he pushed her back until she lay underneath him on her bed.

His mouth tasted her breath. He eased down the rest of her top and began to tug down her shorts, inch by delicious inch. Miroku pulled them off from around her ankles, then slowly kissed and nibbled along her hipbone. She gasped and cried, her feminine region begging to be touched, her fingers clutched onto his hair in desperation as he caressed his way to the soft moistness which was waiting for him.

"Oh, Kami, please Miroku." Sango panted beneath him.

She was beautiful. His hungry dark eyes devoured her completely. Her dark brown eyes were gleaming and almost black with desire. Her lips were parted, swollen and pouting from his own. Her breasts seem to jut out for his touch and he reveled in softness as he buried his face between them. A faint film of sweat reflected off her body, creating silver curves along her hips and breasts.

A strange emotion filled his head. Something far behind the physical pleasures of the flesh. Something he had never felt before with any other woman. She pulled him down to her until her mouth was beside his ear. In a shaky voice she tried to calm her trembling body.

"Make love to me, Miroku." Sango demanded him and he pulled up from her, quickly wrestling off his jeans. She looked hungrily at his erection as he hovered over top of her, now completely naked. He had the body of a god and she shuddered as he fingers played over the pulsating muscles beneath his perfect skin.

"This may hurt." He warned her as he pushed her legs apart. Sango nodded to him to continue and he thrust into her, quickly and firm, yet gentle. She cried out in pain, but he kissed her forehead, then her lips until the pain subsided. "I'm sorry about that." He said, breathing heavily and trying to adjust to the tightness surrounding him.

"It's alright." She choked out. She matched his rhythm as they made love. Her tight sweetness made him feel as if he were entering paradise.

********************************************************************************

Sango lay there later, trembling in his arms. Her mind was a blank and her body still contracted with the last remaining ripples of pleasure died down in her body. It was still dark and very late.

Miroku rubbed her arm smoothly and listened to her breathing start to calm. Then, he realized it. He loved her.

Sango felt like a goddess. Even now, sleepy and content, he ran his hands over her body and marveled at it in a sleepy murmur which pulled at her heartstrings. The moon illuminated the room quite well, but still kept it a dark and sedated place. She touched him in wonder. He was such a beautiful golden, his chest was toned and powerful. Lightly, she ran her hand down his hard stomach and blushed when she saw what that did to him.

"You're still blushing after making love to me?" He teased gently.

She couldn't look at him. She felt even more shy around him after what they had done. A little shudder rippled through her when she thought back. Miroku's reaction to her had been incredible. She had made him groan and beg, cry aloud when he reached his climax. That exquisite feeling still echoed inside her own body.

"I guess I'm a bit embarrassed, that's all." She said, blushing even further.

He propped himself on one elbow and smiled down at her. "You shouldn't be." Miroku consoled. "You were amazing. I've never, ever felt that great in my life."

Sango looked up at him, and he crashed his lips to her. He knew he was ready again and he slipped his hand down beneath the sheets and found out she was ready for him again as well. For the second time that night, they made love. Urgent and passionate. Soft and sensual. Rough and wild. He wanted her in every possible way.

She reached her climax as she felt him groan and pound into her as he reached his second for the night.

He collapsed beside her, completely spent and satisfied. He lazily wrapped her in an embrace and she enjoyed the warm, sweaty feeling of his naked body against hers, the sheet wrapped around her concealing herself.

Sango had fallen asleep, but Miroku was still wide awake. Stroking the hair away from her face and listening to her breath. He wasn't startled when he heard Hideko's voice, he had felt her presence just seconds before.

"Miroku?"

"She's gorgeous, isn't she?" He asked, in a low whisper. "Just like an angel."

Hideko smiled and crossed her legs as she sat, poised on the nightstand. "She is."

Something inside his heart stirred as he held her in his arms. "It's like, I want to hold her and never let her go." His breath moved the wisps of hair around her ears and she subconsciously cuddled closer to his warmth. He embraced her tighter and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Hideko, I love her."

Hideko stepped down softly on the carpet, and sighed, forcing a smile. "I know, Miroku." She said. "We do need to talk tomorrow though, I'm afraid. It's urgent."

"Right." He said, looking back at her momentarily in the dark. "Hey, Hideko?"

"Yes, Keski-san?" She asked.

"Thanks for everything. She makes me happy and it's all thanks to you." He saw her face fall for just a quick second, but then her expression changed quickly to a smile.

"Of course, Miroku."

Then she was gone. He closed his eyes and he was finally content. He had a sense of belonging, a sense of completeness, like a void had been filled. He loved Sango, more than he had ever loved anything in his entire life.

********************************************************************************

When Sango awoke, it was to the sound of her cell phone. She saw that the sun had seemingly risen hours ago, rain soaked her window. Sango smelled the faint scent of cologne, the same scent that reminded her of the night of passion the man sleeping next to her treated her to.

Miroku looked completely peaceful and she feared the loud cry of her cell phone would wake him up, so she quickly answered her, slightly annoyed that someone had woken her up. "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Sango Noriko?" The male voice on the other end asked.

"Yes, it is…" She said tiredly. Miroku stirred in bed next to her as his eyes adjusted to the light.

"Hey, this is Marcus Cooper. How are you my lovely lady?"

Sango froze and looked over at Miroku, then back towards the wall, his lips pressed into a thin line of anger. "Marcus? How did you get my number?"

"Oh, Ash Ketchum gave it to me last night at the party." He explained. "I wanted to call you and ask you what's up?"

"Well, actually," Sango paused for a minute and rethought about telling Marcus, or anyone for that matter, that she had been with Miroku. High school was a cruel place and she was glad that Ash had been drunk when he attacked her. Maybe he wouldn't remember, with a little luck, it might blow over. "uhm, nothing really."

Miroku was looking at her, his brown furrowed. He had yet another reason to be angry with Ash Ketchum for giving out Sango's phone number.

"Well, I wanted to see if you would like to maybe go out sometime." Marcus said confidently. "Just me and you. I'll take you anywhere you'd like to go."

"Uhm, well," She looked over at Miroku. "I can't. I'm sorry, but I'm going to be really busy over the next couple months to prepare for graduation."

"Hm, right." He said after a moment's pause. "Well, I wish you all the luck, love, but remember, if you change your mind, give me a call."

"Uhm, right." She said a bit hesitantly, absently playing with a coil of her hair. "Goodbye." She said after a moment, then put her cell phone back on the nightstand.

Sango was quiet for a moment, wondering if Miroku was angry with her. He sighed heavily. "Fucking Ash!"

"Miroku, are you angry with me?" Sango asked timidly. He turned his gaze towards her and kissed her forehead.

"Of course I'm not angry with you, love." His voice was smooth like velvet, just like it had been the night before. A shiver ran through her spine when she thought about the way he had made her feel. She never thought when Kris asked her to tutor him tutor him that she would end up sleeping with him just two weeks later. However, she had no regrets.

He kissed her again briefly. "Are you hungry?"

"Kind of." She said, settling back against her pillow in relief.

"Great. I'll make you breakfast in bed. How does that sound?"

Sango giggled and Miroku was already in love with that laugh. "No one's ever done that for me before."

"Good." Miroku said with a nod. "Then let me be the first." He dashed out of her room and down into the kitchen, where he searched around for pancake mix and strawberries. Brock had mentioned once before that it was her favourite.

Just as he turned on the oven, Hideko stepped in behind him. "Good morning, Romeo!" She said in a loud voice. He was startled only for a second, but he was really beginning to get used to Hideko's barging in without warning.

"Good morning, Hideko." He said with a sigh, trying to calm his breathing down.

"Sleep well?" She asked, taking in a whiff of the pancakes. "Mmmm, smells delicious."

"Is there something I can help you with, Hideko?" He asked, glancing behind his shoulder at her. She jumped down from her position on the fridge. Her face seemed to lose some of the cheerfulness it held.

"Well, actually I was hoping we could talk. It's about your last couple." She said, sitting at the table.

Miroku stood at the oven, busying himself with cooking. "Yea, what about it?"

The blond woman seemed tense and hesitant. She squirmed in her seat before she sighed and looked up at him with innocent blue eyes. "Well, it's Marcus Cooper."

Miroku snorted with laughter. "Oh, that fuckhead? Yea, you know he called her this morning? Boy, is he going to have a rude awakening when he finds out Sango's with me."

Hideko twisted a lock of golden hair nervously. "Well, Miroku, that's exactly the problem. He's part of the last couple and--"

"And what?" Miroku asked, reaching for the plates in the drawer. Hideko was silent and she looked away from him. He grew frantic. "And what, Hideko? Spit it out."

"Your assignment is supposed to get Marcus Cooper and Sango Noriko together." The words came out in a rush and she saw Miroku's face grow white.

"What?" He asked in utter disbelief. "No, Hideko. No way. I…I can't."

"But, it's the only way you'll complete your task."

He raked his hands through his hair, gripping it and pulling at his roots. "Then if that's what I have to do, I'll stay here forever, with Sango."

"Miroku, you can't do that." She said, fearing his anger would only grow.

"Well, why the fuck not, Hideko?" Miroku's voice was raised slightly. "I mean, god, I just slept with her. Not once, but twice. You can't expect me to give another guy the green light to go ahead and steal her away from me under my nose! You can't expect me to match them up!"

Hideko pulled out her rule book and looked up at him. "Miroku, I'm sorry, but according to the rules an immortal being can't be with a mortal being. It's just not possible."

"Fuck the rules!" He yelped. "I'm not letting Marcus Cooper take my girl."

"What?" He heard Sango's voice at the doorway. A puzzled look etched on her pretty face, her pajamas were on from the night before. "Who are you talking to, Miroku?"

"Uh…" He looked towards the chair at which Hideko sat. She simply shrugged and his shoulders slumped. "Uhm, no one. Just…uh…myself."

"Oh…Ok. Well, why were you talking about Marcus?"

"Uhm, because…I…" He trailed off, knowing Sango was growing more suspicious by the minute. Nothing was coming to him and Hideko obviously wasn't going to help him out. Or perhaps, she couldn't. Perhaps it was somehow in that damn rule book she always carried around in her kimono that she couldn't help him out. "Alright, look, Sango, there is something I have to tell you."

"Well, what is it?"

"You might want to sit down."

Sango curiously pulled a kitchen chair out from the table and sat down, unknowingly across from Hideko. She looked up at him, beautiful and expectedly. He sighed and straightened his shoulders, then prepared to tell her everything.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Miroku was avoiding having to tell her, Hideko sat patiently at the table, toeing off her sandal and giving him a hard look. He knew he had to tell her and neither Hideko or Sango was going to leave him alone until he did.

"Alright." He let out a sigh and turned his back to her. "You know when we were reading about Cupid?"

"Yes." Sango replied. "What about it?"

"Well, uhm…I'm…I'm him." He said, then watched her as she slowly broke out into a laugh.

"What? No! I was kidding when I called you Cupid." She said, laughing. "Cupid, and Zeus, and Venus, they're all myths. They're not real."

"No, Sango, really…" He said, trying his best to keep a straight face. "I'm Cupid. And, I wasn't really talking to myself, I was talking to my advisor."

Sango stared at him, her mouth quirked in question and she wondered if she had just lost her virginity to a nutcase. "OK, are you sure you didn't drink anything last night?"

"Positive. Look, I'm telling you the truth, I'm--"

"Oh, he's cupid, trust me. I used to change his diapers." Hideko's voice sounded from behind him, and Miroku watched as Sango's eyes grew wide and her hand slapped over her mouth.

"Do you have to bring up such embarrassing things, Hideko?" Miroku asked, his voice filled with annoyance.

"Who…who are you?" She asked, frightened by her sudden appearance. She was almost like a ghost, but appeared solid. Her hair was a bright, golden, almost like the sun and Sango thought she might have been an angel.

Miroku looked over at her. "Wait a minute, she can see you?"

"Of course she can see me." Hideko said laughing. "I can be seen by mortals if I choose to. Now, Sango, dear, you should trust this man when he tells you something."

Sango held herself up by the wall to prevent from fainting. "You mean…Cupid is real?"

"Yep." Hideko said, nodding. "Isn't he handsome?" She asked, pushing his cheeks together, then stretching out his mouth. "Look at that smile! Only the god of love could be this delicious to look at!"

Miroku tore himself away from her. "Will you stop that?"

"What? It's supposed to be a compliment."

"Yea, well your embarrassing me." He said, trying to get the pain out of his cheeks from being stretched.

"Well, I…I must still be asleep." She said, more to herself then to the two of them. "Yea, that's it. I'm still sleeping and any moment I'm going to wake up and you won't be here." She said, pointing to Hideko. "I'll still in bed, beside Miroku, asleep."

She waited, trying to wake herself up, but nothing happened. Realization finally hit her that she was awake when Hideko pinched her on the arm. "Ow!"

"There, see, you're wide awake." She said with a smile. "Now if someone doesn't eat these pancakes, I think I'm going to take them back home to your mother, Miroku. She always said you couldn't cook, but these look simply divine."

Miroku grabbed the plate from her hands. "No! These are for Sango. Mom hates my cooking anyway. She says I should stick to matchmaking and do what I was born to do." He sat the plate down in front of Sango and watched her. Hideko's words flashed through his mind again.

He was supposed to give her up to Marcus Cooper. It was his destiny, what he was meant to do. From the beginning of time, it all boiled down to this. Out of all the girls in the world, why did he have to fall so deeply, madly in love with the one woman he was supposed to give up? The one woman he was supposed to help find love, and not with him.

It was just his luck and it was breaking his heart.

Sango took a small bite of her strawberry pancake and smiled. "This is delicious."

"I was hoping you'd think so." He said, sitting next to her. "Well, now you know I'm a mythical being. Do you think…I'm weird or anything?"

She looked over at him and smiled slowly. "No, not at all. Last night was--" She stopped and looked over at Hideko as a small blush crawled across her cheeks.

"Oh!" Hideko shouted when realization smacked her in the face. 'You two want to have a private talk, no? Well, then I'll just leave you two alone for now. Sayonara." Then she disappeared in a puff of pink smoke.

"It's….like magic." She said, blinking, trying to figure out how the blond girl had pulled it off.

"Nah, not really. Just some cheap trick she uses all the time." He said laughing. "Now, what were u saying about last night?"

"Last night was amazing." She said, feeling a bit shy around him now. After all, she was talking to a god, literally. "I know I didn't say this last night and it's alright, if…if you don't feel the same way." She stammered and drew in a shaky breath. "But, I think I'm falling in love with you."

Miroku softly parted his lips and captured hers in a chaste kiss. He pulled away a long, scorching minute later. "Sango, I…" He wanted to say it. He wanted to say he loved her, but he knew he couldn't. He knew he couldn't tell her that, then turn around and have to do what he would eventually have to do, no matter how long he put it off, it was inevitable. He knew the rules of his world, and he knew he had to follow them, no matter how bad it hurt him inside.

After all, Hideko did try to warn him didn't she? This was all his fault and now, she was in love with him. The sweet, innocent, beautiful Sango had fallen in love with him, and it was all his fault.

Those three words were caught in his throat and he closed his mouth after a moment. "It's alright, you…you don't have to say it." She said. "I'm uhm…not that hungry anymore. I think I'm going to go lay down…"

"Sango, it's not that I don't love you it's just…" He sighed and grabbed her hands in his. "It's just I need some time to think. The rules and everything from your world and mine are much, much different. So, give me time?"

Time. Yes, she'd give him time, but how much time would he need? He sure as hell didn't need time when he was ready to make love to her last night. "Of course." She said after a moment. She needed to call Misty and talk to her about this whole thing, she was still half expecting to wake up from a dream.

Miroku kissed her goodbye and left the house, watching her bedroom window curtains, remembering what happened behind them the night before. Was it a mistake? Or was true love made last night?

Only time would tell.

********************************************************************************

A half an hour later, the two girls sat in Sango's bedroom, her sheets still rumpled and messy from the night before and still smelling so deliciously alluring. The lump in her throat was almost too painful and as she began to speak the tears slowly started to spill out of her eyes.

"I told him I loved him and he just…didn't say anything." Sango said, wiping away a tear with her hand. Misty searched through her purse and handed her a tissue.

"Ouch. That must have hurt." The redhead commented. "And you said he told you he was Cupid? The real cupid? Is he insane?"

"I don't know." She said with a shrug. "I think I might be the insane one. I saw a girl appear out of nowhere. I swear on my life this whole thing happened right in front of my eyes. You know, that's why he was playing matchmaker with you and Brock."

Misty leaned back and propped her feet on the dresser. "I thought Cupid wasn't supposed to be tall, dark and handsome. I thought he was supposed to be a chubby baby with arrows."

"Yes, well, apparently, that isn't true." She said, trying her best to calm her tears down.

"You know, it isn't all so farfetched." Misty concluded. "You never know what could be real and what couldn't be. I mean, I never thought I'd ever look at Brock this way, yet here I am. The impossible can happen, and I owe it all to Miroku. He helped us realize some things."

Sango bit her lip and looked out the window, her eyes still shining with tears. "Do you think I should still talk to him? I mean, we slept together and everything, I really don't want to be one of those girls who just has this amazing one-night stand and then never sees the guy again."

Misty pivoted the chair towards Sango and gave her a friendly smile. "I think you should do what you feel. Follow your heart and listen to what it's telling you. It will help you make the right choice."

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Monday had been an awkward day at school for Miroku. Sango knew his secret, Misty knew his secret, but he was fine with that. Even Brock knew his secret and, surprisingly, he believed him very easily. However, there was still one thing bothering him and it had been eating him alive all day.

He wanted to tell Sango how he felt, how he really felt. He wanted to talk to Hideko last night, but she seemed to have been ignoring him all day. She always liked to show up at the most inopportune times. Miroku believed she truly got a kick out of it.

Leaning against the brick wall of the school building, he closed his eyes and breathed in the spring air. It was so clean and fresh, the smell of flowers and the hint of summer heat were a mock of happiness. Sighing, he exhaled heavily and opened his eyes only to see Sango standing beside him. He was a bit shocked that even he didn't sense her standing there, and she had been extremely quiet.

"Hey." She said softly.

"Hey." He offered her a smile and she returned it. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine." Sango assured him.

"Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. I know it was weird for you." He said.

"Don't worry about it."

Miroku kicked the gravel from the sidewalk with his shoe and cleared his throat. "Well, do you want to come and hang out with me at my house for a little while? It's a hot day, we could go swimming."

She looked up at him, wondering what he was implying, if he was implying anything at all. His thumbs were hooked in his belt loops and she could tell he was nervous. Something was bothering him. Sango thought back to what Misty had said about listening to her heart, and for some reason, it was compelling her to trust him.

"Alright." She finally agreed and he smiled, not being able to resist from kissing her. "I'll meet you at my house, say about an hour?"

"That's fine." She said, enjoying the tingling feeling of her lips. Sango had received a few glaring stares as he walked away. The jealous girls of the cheerleading team had been trying to get Miroku's eye for weeks, but never succeeded. She couldn't help but feel a sense of power and a newfound confidence.

Then again, Miroku didn't love her. He didn't say he didn't love her, but there was a good chance he didn't. She stood on the sidewalk a little while longer, Miroku had disappeared somewhere amongst the cars before she moved towards the parking lot to her own car.

********************************************************************************

Sango was slightly less skittish in front of him in her bikini, but his eyes were nonetheless admiring her. Miroku floated on his back, his sunglasses pulled over his eyes, concealing them from her.

"So, I still have a hard time believing your Cupid." She said idly as he floating leisurely around on his back. She admired the way the water glistened off his strong chest and she remembered the sweat that slicked his body that night.

He chuckled. "That's understandable. Why do you think I kept it from you for so long?"

"I don't know. I mean I always kind of had the feeling you were keeping something from me." She said, leaning into the corner of the pool. "I just wasn't sure what it was."

"Well," he said, leaning upright on his feet. "that's what it was." He swam over to her and she automatically wrapped her arms around his neck. He was taking her over again, the scent of his cologne mixed in with the clean smell of chlorine.

"I still think you should look like a fat baby with arrows." She joked, as he drew in closer to her.

"Well, I was a fat kid, but I slimmed down in my teen years."

"And just when was that?" She was curiously. "When dinosaurs roamed the earth?"

He laughed and swam behind her, wrapping his arms around her bare waist under the water. "Hey now, I'm not that old, love. I'd say it was right around the time the Great Wall of China was constructed."

Sango turned to look at him. "That was centuries ago."

"Yea, and I'm centuries old."

"Well, you sure as hell don't look like it."

"Of course not." He said with a smile. "We're immortal, we stay youthful forever. We don't age once we hit our prime and apparently, my prime was seventeen."

She turned around in his embrace and pushed herself against him, kissing him forcefully. He was a bit shocked, but welcomed her actions and rubbed his hands over her skimpily covered hips and waist, then finally up to her breasts and to her back where he tugged on the small string.

Someone cleared their throat and Sango all but jumped off of him, but strangely felt relieved when she saw it was just Hideko. Miroku cursed under his breath. "Hideko, what are you doing here?"

"Well, excuse me if I'm imposing while your trying to lay down some game, but I think we need to talk." She said, placing her hands on her hips. However, when she looked Sango's way she wore a sweet expression on her pretty face.

Miroku groaned in annoyance and he knew exactly what Hideko wanted to talk about before he even got out of the water. He turned around, gave Sango a quick kiss before he pulled himself out of the side of the pool. "What?" He asked.

"Come with me…" She said a bit harshly and led him through the front gate, far away until she was certain they were out of earshot from Sango. "Miroku, what are you doing?"

"I'm hanging out with my girlfriend, what does it look like?" He asked, sarcastically. Hideko sighed and tapped her foot.

"Miroku, she's not your girlfriend, she can't be."

Miroku didn't look at her, his face was downwards, his eyes anywhere but on her because he knew it was true. "I know."

Hideko's voice softened. "Listen, I know you want to be with her, but it's just not going to work. No immortal being has ever fallen in love with a mortal before. Our worlds are too different, we are from a completely different dimension then she is and she'd never understand our type of lifestyle."

"I know, but Hideko, I don't even care about going home anymore." He said, burying his face in his hands. "I don't even care about finishing this task. All I want is her." He lowered his voice even lower, to an almost inaudible whisper. "I love her."

"I hope you haven't told her that." Hideko said urgently.

"No, of course I haven't." He said. "I almost did, but I can't hurt her like that. If I told her how I felt it won't only hurt her more when I tell her we can't be together." A tear escaped his eye and he turned away from his mentor, embarrassed that he let his emotions show through so easily.

"Miroku, don't cry…" Hideko said, rubbing his back.

"I'm not. It's allergies." He claimed, feeling the lump in his throat grow bigger and tighter, almost becoming painful.

She bit her lip, knowing that what she was about to say wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear right now, but it had to be said. "Miroku, you have to let her go. It's not fair to her, to keep on loving you, when she can't have you."

The words caused him to lose control, and his shoulders shook with silent sobs. "Life is so cruel. Hideko, why did this have to happen to me? Why did I have to fall in love?"

"I don't know, Miroku." She said sympathetically. He looked up at her, licking away a tear from the corner of his mouth.

"I know what I have to do, just….give me time." He said, finally, trying his best to compose himself.

"Alright, but please, not too much time." She warned him. "You love her, don't you? So, you want her to find happiness, true happiness. The kind of happiness she will find in Marcus Cooper."

Miroku looked at Hideko for a long moment, looking at the sympathy in deep blue eyes. "You're right. I have to do what I have to do."

******************************************************************************** Prom was just weeks away, and instead of the school buzzing with news about Ash Ketchum's party, the halls were now alive with talk about prom. Brock spotted several girls with magazines, featuring prom dresses and he, himself, was busy looking to rent out a tux since Misty had already narrowed her selection for a dress down to five now.

Miroku wasn't worried about prom, which Brock found unusual. Surely, he'd want to take Sango to her senior prom that was merely three weeks away. Sango had mentioned that she had a few dresses in mind and she and Misty had already set aside a Saturday to go pick out a dress. It was the first time in a long time, Brock had seen Sango so excited about a school dance and he knew Miroku was the reason.

"So, are you going to prom, dude?" He asked him and Miroku gave him a shrug.

"Uh, yea but…I haven't really asked anyone yet." Miroku replied, not really wanting to talk about the subject of prom. He couldn't explain why, Brock would never understand and probably write him off as a jerk. He didn't expect him to understand because he wasn't even sure if _he_ understood it himself.

"Well, I'm sure Sango's going to want to go with you." Brock assured him. "That's all she and Misty have been talking about is Prom night."

"Really?" He asked.

His friend nodded and he sighed. He had to do this now, no matter how bad he wanted to put it off, it just couldn't wait any longer. Lucky for him, he didn't have to wait. Sango came bounding up to him a smile on her face. "Hey there, Cupid." She said, standing on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek.

His heart melted as he looked at the happy expression on her face.

"I think I picked out my dress!" She said cheerfully, flipping through a magazine. "It's a pale pink. What do you think?" She flipped to a page, and Miroku took a look at the dress, doing his best to make a mental picture of what she would look like in it. Beautiful, feminine, elegant.

"Sango, uhm, can we go outside for a minute and talk?" He asked.

She glanced towards Brock for a moment, who looked equally confused, then back towards Miroku. "Uhm, sure." She said, and he reluctantly led her outside. The parking lot was quiet, almost too quiet. He could hear the spring birds singing and the cars on the main road just down the hilly entranceway and he knew it had to be done. It was unavoidable.

Miroku took a deep breath and looked down at her. She was beautiful, but expectant. Then he prepared to tell her.

"Well, what is it?" Sango asked him curiously. For some reason, she was panicking inside. She could sense that something was wrong, she just wasn't sure what it was.

"Alright, look, this…" Miroku trailed off for a moment, looking down at his feet then back up to her eyes. "what we have between us, it has to stop."

She couldn't speak, she couldn't move, she couldn't even breath. "What? What are you saying?"

He felt the tears threatening his eyes. Break-ups were never easy, but this one was proving to be too much for him. He had never been in love before and letting go of Sango was proving to be one of the hardest things he's ever had to do.

"I'm saying you've touched my heart in a way that no one ever has. You've changed my life and I'll never be the same." His sweet words didn't mask what his eyes conveyed and Sango knew what was coming. A tear escaped her eye and his wiped it away gently with his thumb.

"Please," He said. "don't cry. This is already hard. We can't be together, but I wanted to let you know you have been the one for me. No one will ever take your place."

"Miroku," She cried quietly and he silenced her with a finger against her lips. He longed to kiss her again, but he knew it would only make this harder for the both of them.

"Promise me this, Sango?" He asked her.

"Anything." She said, instinctively gripping onto his shirt.

"Remember me." Miroku finally said, tracing the outline of her lips with his thumb and remembering her sweet taste against his tongue. "Remember me and all we used to be."

She frowned as she peered up at him, the hot sun in her eyes making the glare from her tears even worse. "Miroku, why?"

"I have to go home. My real home. I can't live on earth anymore, I don't belong, and you…" He rubbed the side of her cheek gingerly, admiring the smooth feel of her skin, something he would never feel again for the rest of eternity. No goddess of his world could even hope to compare to her in his eyes. She was perfection. "You don't belong with me. You will find someone to make you happy, I promise."

He kissed the top of her head. "Be happy for me, Sango."

Sango grabbed his hand and squeezed it hard. "But…I love you…"

Miroku felt his heart twist inside his chest, it was a pain he had never experienced before and it was painful. "Don't say things like that, Sango. You will find happiness, I promise." He pulled himself away from her to fight the urge to kiss her again. She was even pretty when she cried and he wanted to wrap her in his arms, take her home and make love to her all over again.

But it had to end. It was fate. He saw the end before they had begun, and he should have ended it then. It wouldn't be so hard on them now. He had already been addicted to her, he had tasted her, smelled her, loved her. She was immortalized onto his soul and she would forever be with him.

He knew that much.

"Goodbye, Sango." He finally said, then turned and left.

********************************************************************************

There was a knock at the door. Pulling herself from her dark bedroom, she stepped out to answer the door. Misty greeted her with a huge trey of brownies and a happy smile. "Hey girl, glad to see your still alive. You haven't been to school in three days."

Sango looked away. She knew she looked like complete hell, she hadn't ate, or bothered to get out of bed for three days, except to occasionally use the bathroom. "Just haven't felt like it, I guess."

"Sango, are you alright?" She asked. "I baked you some brownies."

"Thanks, but I'm not very hungry." Sango confessed, leading the redhead back up to her bedroom. Lazily she plopped down on her bed, dreading the fact that the sheets still held onto the scent of his cologne.

Misty frowned apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Sango."

"I mean, look at me, I finally gave my heart to somebody, finally gave someone a chance…" She turned on her side to face the bare wall. "And what look what happened."

Misty was quiet for a moment, before she sat on the edge of the bed to rub her friend's shoulder comfortingly. "I know this isn't what you want to hear, but there are plenty of guys out there that would die for a chance with you."

"I know, but…none of them are Miroku." She said softly, breathing in the scent of her sheets. His scent was all over her bed and the softness under her reminded her of that night. "I wish that could have been real, Misty."

"I know you do." She sympathized, not sure of what else to say.

"I mean, your lucky. You have Brock, and other guys that like you." Sango told her. "I just had Miroku and…he didn't even love me back."

Misty looked down at her and sighed. "Well, it's Friday afternoon, Sango. You shouldn't lay around in this room all weekend, it's not good for you and maybe you should go out and try to meet another guy. That Marcus guy liked you didn't he?"

"Marcus?" Sango asked, looking towards her. "Oh, right, Marcus. Yea, he did."

"Well," She said, offering her a smile. "maybe you should give him a call and see what he's up to."

She sat up and peered over at Misty. "I know I need to move on. He told me to. He said he had to go back home. I'm still not sure where that is, but apparently it's somewhere far, far away from here."

"I guess it's wherever Cupid lives."

Sango looked down, still wondering if Miroku ever existed. She picked up her phone and dialed Marcus Cooper's number.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I sit miserably in my room when I hear a small chime. I open my closet and see the string I had tied on hooks from wall to wall. One-hundred beads are strung along the string, meaning my task is done. I hadn't looked at that contraption since I put it up there when I arrived.

It's funny how just eight months ago I couldn't wait to finish this task and get back home, and now it's the last thing I want to do. I feel Hideko step in behind me, a comforting smile on her face.

"Great job, Keseki. You did it!" She congratulates me respectively, but I simply shut my closet door and peerback at her.

"Yea, I guess I did." I say with a sigh. "Well, you ready to take me home?"

"That's why I'm here."

It's a short, dizzying trip through time and dimensions and once I get back home I was greeted by his old friends.

"Baklava?" My old friend, Nelly asks, holding out a trey of the Greek pastries. Even going eight months without seeing it, the sight of it still made me sick.

"No thanks, Nell." I say. "I'm just going to go to my room."

Hideko watches me as I walk down the long, shiny corridor to my bedroom at the end of the hall which was left untouched. "Poor thing."

Nelly takes a bite of his Baklava and stands beside Hideko. "Is he sick or something?"

"Love sick, perhaps." Hideko half-jokingly replies.

"Hm," He mumbles and licks his fingers clean of the sticky glaze. "Baklava?" Nelly offers Hideko and she, too, refuses.

********************************************************************************

I gaze at her as she's sleeping. She's beautiful and peaceful. She can't see me anymore. She can't touch me. She can't kiss me and she can't love me, but I can still look at her. I can still be in love with her even though I am no longer part of her world.

I'm in her bedroom. It's dark and sweet-smelling. She's sprawled out on her bed, her long beautiful legs look smooth against the pale moonlight and I wish I could touch them. I want caress her smooth skin and feel her beneath my fingertips once again as I make love to her.

But I know that isn't possible.

She stirs in her sleep, turning over on her stomach, her hands grasp at the sheets. "M-Miroku?" She asks and I feel something leap within me. She can sense my presence, she knows I'm here.

I step towards softly, not sure if I'm really making any sound to her at all. "Sango." I whisper softly into the night air and a smile plays on her lips. I place my hand over hers, but I can't feel her skin, just her presence, her spirit.

"Is…is that really you?" She asks, and I wonder if she's still asleep. She'd have to be in order to even know I was there.

"I'm right here." I tell her, looking around, wondering if she could hear me. I'm like a ghost, unseen but felt. "I love you."

"I-I still love you." Sango whispers lazily and I feel a tear escape my eye.

"I still hold your hand in mine when I'm asleep." I tell her, stroking the hair away from her face. My touch is like a wind and it's almost frustrating that I can't feel her. "I'd spend a lifetime with you, if I could. I hope you know that. I'll always wonder what could have been if this could have been real."

I'm surprised to see a tear spill from her cheeks and onto her crisp white pillow case. The material soaks it up and I think about how unphysical I am. I look at her full, luscious lips and I long to kiss her again, but I'm not able to. All I can do is admire her from afar. Is this the way I'm going to spend eternity?

"I do too." She breaths softly. I can feel her heart breaking and mine breaks as well. "I wish you could come back."

I stand up from her bedside. "I do too." I tell her, before I exit her room. I teleport back home. It's surprisingly very noisy where I live and the gods aren't as graceful as one would expect.

However, there's only one person I'm interested in seeing right now. I search the palace high and low for her, and finally find the pretty blond woman in the library reading a romance novel. Every time I see one of those books I think about Sango and it breaks my heart.

"Hideko?"

"Oh, Keseki." She says, looking up at me from her book. "I'm not used to you ghosting around here anymore since you've been gone for so long. What's up? Care for a game of chess?"

"Actually," Miroku said, looking down at the chess board that materialized on the desk in front of her. "I was wondering if you could help me with something."

"Anything." She replies cheerfully.

I sigh and take a seat across from her, staring at the chess pieces absently. "Sango is miserable without me. Please, Hideko, isn't there anyway, anyway at all, that I could go back."

Hideko sits back, crosses her legs and laces her fingers together around her knees. "Well, Miroku, there is one way, but I don't think your going to like it."

My eyes light up and I stand up from my chair so fast, I knock it down behind me from the force. "I'll do it. Whatever it is."

I watch her as she searches through her briefcase and pulls out an official looking document. "The only way your going to be able to live on earth is if you sign this document, stating that you will give up your immortal life to live on earth as a mortal, grow old and die."

I'm shocked by the dilemma, but there's no question in my mind. I want to go back to earth and live my life with Sango. I want to be the father of her children, her husband for as long as I shall live.

I look back up at Hideko and she's waiting for my reply. "Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?"

"I suppose I forgot." She says with a wide smile, but I'm not entirely shocked. She always was a little scatterbrained. "Now, I should warn you, Miroku." She tells me sternly, her demeanor quickly changing to a more serious tone. "If you sign this, you'll never be able to come back here. You'll be permanently earthbound."

"I understand." I tell her, my voice deep and rough, sure and positive. And with that, I sign my life away.

********************************************************************************

Misty's helping me fix my hair for prom. I look at myself in the mirror and I do feel pretty, however, I'm not entirely psyched about it as Misty is. Marcus will be here any minute and I grab my purse.

The doorbell rings and I see Brock and Marcus both arrive at the same time. I'm almost envious of Misty because she looks completely in awe of Brock. Marcus looks devilishly handsome, but I can't get my mind off Miroku. It's been three long, terrible weeks since he told me goodbye and I've been Marcus Cooper's girlfriend for almost two weeks.

He's shown me off to his friends, and while I'm grateful for the attention, my heart is still telling me I belong with Miroku. I have this feeling it's going to keep telling me that for the rest of my life.

We arrive at the school, the gymnasium is decorated beautiful with laser lights, pale blue balloons, and a DJ booth in the corner. Misty pulls me to the dance floor when an upbeat song is queued up. I decide to push Miroku out of my mind, it's my prom night, not just any prom night, my senior prom night and I should be having fun, not pining over him.

However, when a slow song comes on, and Marcus takes my hand, Miroku comes flooding back. I remember that night at Ash's party in that dark corner. The way he danced with me, the way he kissed me, the way he loved me that night. I lay my head on his shoulder and I allow my mind to drift back to him, though I should be feeling guilty for thinking of him when I'm dancing with Marcus.

But in the back of mind, I'm still dancing with Miroku.

I close my eyes and try to fight back the tears. It seems like he's so close, so close now that I can almost smell his cologne, his shampoo, his scent. I can almost feel his presence, like I did the other night. I know he was there somehow, trying to tell me he still loved me.

I open my eyes only to have my heart leap in my throat. My eyes must be playing tricks on me because he's standing there, a bouquet of roses in his hand and a grin on his face. I blink twice and he's still there.

"M-Miroku?" I asked.

He takes off his sunglasses and peers at me with those, rare, beautiful indigo eyes beneath the stark, black hair. "Hey there, gorgeous. Remember me?"

I separate myself from Marcus and run into his arms. He embraces me, smells my hair, strokes my back lovingly and for a moment all the world is still. It's just us in the room, beneath the laser lights and disco ball. The soft music plays and he sways with me unrehearsed.

"Excuse me?" Marcus asks. "But she's my date."

Miroku laughs and tucks his sunglasses in his coat pocket. "Not anymore, she's not." He leads me away, into a dark corner where we are isolated. He kisses me and looks into my eyes and I feel my very soul melting.

"Sango, I love you." He whispers to me, before kissing me again.

"I love you, too." I manage after a moment against his lips. And for a moment the whole world revolved around us.

-Fin


End file.
